Flame Legacy
by practice4morale
Summary: "Just because you went through Truth's Gate doesn't make you an alchemist." Nina Mustang is painfully aware of this at 21. Her father, Roy, forbids her to use her abilities as a Flame Alchemist and won't say why. Now she's met a young man with gold eyes who seems to know more about her than she does. He calls himself Fullmetal's biggest fan. Central knows him as Edward Elric's son.
1. Chapter 1: How Things Go Down, mostly

Author's Note: Hello! As promised, I give you, "Flame Legacy." If you're new to my fanfictions, that's great! Glad to have you. I've written this so it's easy to keep up with without having read my other fic, "Babysitting the Boss Guy." If you're one of my previous readers, yay! You've got some background info from the original. I can't wait to read what you think! Read on!

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Flame Legacy

Prologue: Another Night for Nina Mustang

I stumbled into my bathroom yawning and stuck my left hand under the tap. I cranked on the cold water knob and the sting was way too familiar to be a good thing. It hurt like always, but I was too tired to wince. I got the burns to match temperatures with the water. I shook the hand dry because a towel would have felt like acidic sandpaper with my skin all burnt up and raw. I flipped out the dinky rubber mat rolled up in the medicine cabinet, chucking it in the bottom of the sink and putting my hand on top, face up over the printed transmutation circle. I sighed. The mat blinked red for a moment. When it died, my hand was left smooth again.

I'd done it again. I'd done Flame Alchemy in my sleep.

…Oops.

I heard Brown Hayate pawing my bedroom door, whining like none other. As old and fat as he'd gotten, he still came running when he smelled the trace of smoke through my door. I opened up for him and let him lick over my new skin. I guessed it was more or less better to have the dog worrying about me than my parents. It was completely sweet how they used to hold me and stay with me until I dropped back to sleep when I was a kid, but at twenty-one, the whole routine had gotten old and I got back to sleep faster if I just did it on my own. I was in college. I could handle a couple heat-blisters.

I plopped back into bed, pulling the box of band-aids out of my bedside drawer. I peeled the strips and stuck them over the flammable scars on my fingers one by one. I'd been so wiped-out from Dad's dinner with the Supreme Court rep's that I'd fallen asleep without covering my ignition spots, the first time I'd forgotten in a while. Apparently my nightmare had been horrible enough to where I'd done Flame Alchemy in my sleep to fend it off. It figured I'd get burned the one time I didn't do precautions.

I turned my pillow over so the scorched pillowcase laid face down. It smelled gross like smoke otherwise. Brown Hayate curled up under the covers with me and snuggled under my chin. "Close eyes, puppy," I said.

My strongest memory was my earliest one. Black hands coming over me like smoke, engulfing me into their endless white belly. I would have traded that nightmare for the boogeyman any day.

Chapter 1: How Things Go Down…most of the time

I stayed at home with my parents at Central Command to support my father the Fuhrer's image. Janie in Public Relations told us it wouldn't be good for Dad's citizens to lose track of me. I was the Fuhrer's only kid. I was like the freaking Amestrian mascot, the poster girl. So, I stayed at Central Command with my parents where everyone in Amestris could keep tabs on me.

My name had been Nina Mustang since my parents, Riza and Roy Mustang, had picked me up when I was three. Apparently I talked a lot back then, so Mom thought I couldn't have been younger than three. Dad said he wasn't too sure about that. He said I looked too little when they found me. But I was always small.

Before that, I wasn't sure I'd even had a name. If I had, I didn't remember it. I didn't remember much of anything before I was three.

They told me I was born in Drachma. It pretty much made sense that I didn't remember that part either. Apparently, I'd spent those first three years in a lab being experimented on for alchemic research. Dad said Drachma used to do stuff like that before Amestris bailed them out of debt and kind of blackmailed them into being our ally. Dad said Drachma wasn't too good at handling alchemy responsibly.

Mom said all the scars came from that lab. The scientists roughed me up, she said, and that's where I got the marks. I said I didn't remember. I just remembered sleeping a lot.

I remembered a few things. I remembered the Portal. I remembered those creeping hands that looked like shadows and all that white that they pulled me into. That's something you kind of never forget. That was their last experiment in that lab in Drachma. They put me through that Portal. I remembered that one.

That was how I got the secret alchemy I wasn't allowed to talk about. That's what made the skin in my fingertips change composition so I could make sparks with my bare hands. That's why I sometimes caught stuff on fire in my sleep if I didn't put band-aids over my fingertips before bed.

It was my dad's fault. Daddy said Drachma's scientists saw how powerful Daddy was, so they put me through the Portal to bargain for Flame Alchemy so they could be powerful too. But their plan backfired on them, because I got the alchemy and they got nothing. And then Daddy got me.

Mister Grumman, the old Fuhrer, got engaged to an old girlfriend right after I turned seven. Pretty soon, he retired and turned my daddy into the new Fuhrer. After that, it got really important that we never talk about my past. None of it. I decided Mom and Dad were happy about that.

We never told anyone I could make alchemy, that I could make fire with my fingertips. Not anyone. Not even Grumman. My dad said just because I could do alchemy didn't make me an alchemist. He said it wasn't me. Said it wasn't my fault.

He never asked me if I wanted to be an alchemist.

I knew he was doing it on purpose. But that's why I never felt much like I had to say anything to him about all that stuff. He pretty much already knew he was smothering me.

Day in. Day out.

"Damn 'hate-mail,'" I said in a grumble, shoving Hayate out of my way and rolling out of bed like a floppy carcass. "Damn. Damn. Damn."

I wasn't sure the opposition realized what measures my dad would put me through to keep me safe. If they had, they might have sent their threat-letters somewhere else for my sake.

I peered past my curtains out the barred windows. The sun was barely up, which, in August, meant it was early. I looked at my clock. Five-thirty. And I couldn't sleep for anything.

"Damn!" I said again, because I knew full well I couldn't start my day until my dad got out of bed and started his day first. "Stupid nightmare," I said, picking the band-aids off my fingers. Now I was all rattled and junk.

I looked down at Brown Hayate who was still sleeping his tail off. It was Sunday, my dad's one day of the week to sleep past six. He and Mom probably wouldn't come out of their room until quarter to ten and there was no way I was going in there to interrupt them from doing who knows what? So I was stuck doing nothing. Again.

I went in the shower and shaved my legs twice to kill time. It didn't make a difference to me that I'd shaved them yesterday morning. They were so smooth when I got out that they rubbed like I'd gone over them with a motorized sander. I spent twenty minutes choosing underwear that would match my dress and then shoes that would match my underwear, despite the fact that all my clothes had already been put out for me. I scrunched my pantyhose up my gangly legs to make the scars blend.

I tied up my black mop with a pinky ribbon. I never went out of the house with my hair down, not since I was a little kid. Janie from PR told me I'd look sloppy if I left my hair all hanging and loose down my back. I took a while putting my cosmetics on, layer after damn layer, until my face felt nice and tight like Janie had trained me. It still wasn't even seven when I got away from the mirror.

"Damn," I said, plunking on my bed. "So. Horrifically. Unoccupied."

I looked out my window again. I had a nice view of a brick wall, another building connected to the Command Center. Mom said there were too many good angles for snipers if they'd stuck me facing the street behind the fences where I could actually see stuff. Yeah, so let's put Nina next to the nice brick wall and throw the Fuhrer in the sniper-bedroom instead.

That's how things went down for me, on average.

"I can't even people-watch, dammit!"

I huffed. This was all pretty much dumb. I needed a muffin or something.

I got off my bed, bitterly throwing the covers over sleeping Brown Hayate before stepping out the door. All the lights were still off in the hallway. Going to the end to switch them on was more or less the dreariest experience a Sunday morning could dole out. My high-heeled strappies clacked against the polished wooden floorboards as I crossed into the kitchen.

I wasn't dressed up for any spectacular reason. As the Fuhrer's daughter, it turned out it was important for me to dress like a priss at times when most people would've been wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. I didn't even own a pair of pants.

I checked out the bread box. The thing was loaded; seed bread, sourdough, bap-rolls, brioche, crumpets, scones—I slammed it shut—but no muffins.

"Come on," I whined under my breath. "I'd settle for a freaking low-fat bran muffin right now. I just want the darn muffin. Is that so much to ask?"

I popped open the fridge and gulped some milk from the carton like my dad did when Mom wasn't looking. It felt savage. The kitchen's clock read 7:09 in the morning.

"Damn," I muttered. I waited a few seconds and watched the clock tick to 7:10. "Dumb dream. Couldn't let me stay asleep three more hours?"

I peered down the hallway at the front door leading out to the street. That stupid nightmare had left me all antsy and restless and I just didn't want to stick around in one spot. Plus, I wasn't in the mood for toast or crumpets.

My clacky feet took me step after step across the long hallway. I stood facing the massive front door. I hadn't breached five-two since I was fourteen years old. This door was one of the tall ones. If I opened the heavy thing, it would probably make a hefty creak. Most of the time someone was opening it _for_ me since everyone got to tell me when I was allowed to go through it.

I looked at the locks across it, the bolts, the keyholes. I imagined all the heavy padlocks barring the series of gates around our house, big as my dad's fist. I looked at my baby-pink purse hanging on the hook on the wall. I unhooked it, swung the strap over my shoulder, and dug out my keys.

"Hey, Mr. Guard," I said, coming out through the door and onto the front stoop, "do you know the muffin man?"

The broad-shouldered bald guy straightened up like a pole, like he was at attention or something. "The muffin man, Miss Mustang?"

He was one of the boring guards, the ones that didn't say much back. I never bothered to learn those ones' names. Just too many guards to memorize, was all. Had to prioritize.

"The muffin man!" I sang, closing up the door behind me. "We're going to see the muffin man. My treat."

The worst thing about going on walks around the city was all the smiles and waves and the classic, 'Good morning, Miss Mustang,' with the sugary voice. And the pointing. And the staring. Made every step uncomfortable. It wasn't like I was all paranoid and oppressed and saying, "Woe is me. I just want to be a normal girl." But it would have been nice if they had just let me walk around. It was seven in the morning. I wasn't out there to be signing t-shirts and giving my dad good publicity, if that made sense.

"Hey!" A man with an awesome brown goatee bustled toward me. "Hey, you!"

I stepped back, eyeing my guard guy. He stuck close.

The man with the brown beard grinned like a love-struck idiot. "Oh, my gosh! This is like a dream. Could I get your autograph?"

I slumped. What a drag. Now everyone would see me signing on something and they'd get in line so I could sign on something of theirs. "I guess."

The man came my way. Then he walked right past me.

He didn't even get a decent look at me as he walked by. He didn't even flinch. He just walked past me like I wasn't there or I was invisible or something.

"Wow, it's an honor," said the man.

I turned my head to see what the heck was going on. The man was shaking hands with a different guy, a young guy with honey-blonde hair and the ugliest red trench-coat I had ever laid eyes on. His face was pretty decent, though. Golden eyes. Most funny colored blinkers I'd ever seen.

"I'm a huge fan," said the man with the goatee. "You know, I still have my Fullmetal poster from when I was a kid? It's in a box somewhere. Me and my brothers idolized you when we were growing up. I never would have guessed I'd run into you twenty years later! Wow, it's scary how much you still look like that poster after two decades. My brothers aren't going to believe this when I call them. You need to give me an autograph."

My bodyguard was analyzing the blonde guy. I was surprised my guard actually looked interested. "Is he really…?"

"What?" I whispered up to him.

The young blonde guy smiled all soft. "I'm sorry," he said to the goatee-man, kindly allowing him to continuing shaking the fool out of his hand. "I think you've got me mixed up with someone else."

The goatee guy reigned in the hand-shaking, his face getting all pouty and junk. "You're not the Fullmetal Alchemist? Seriously?"

"I'm sorry," said the young guy. "I'm not." He took his hand back and shoved it in his pocket. "But I am his biggest fan."

The goatee guy laughed, feeling not so stupid now because the young guy was acting casual. "That's debatable."

"Nope," said blonde guy. "I'd say no."

The man said 'sorry,' and, 'have a good morning' and they parted ways. I turned around to my guard. He was staring at the blonde guy still.

"What's 'Fullmetal?'" I asked, hushing my voice down because the blonde guy was coming more or less within earshot as he walked.

"Don't worry about it. You're too young to remember," said Mr. Guard. "He got out of service before you were born."

"A veteran?" I asked. "Like a War Hero?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's funny," I said, getting grinny. "That guy Mr. Beardy mistook Fullmetal for was just a kid. He doesn't look like some kind of seasoned up soldier. Not at all."

"Fullmetal _was_ just a kid at the time. That young man was a spitting image. It's scary."

"You knew the guy?"

"I joined the week he left."

So, I'd found a topic to get this guard chatty. I'd have to make a note.

I shrugged my shoulders. "You learn something new every day."

Our conversation was cut off. "Excuse me?" I whipped my head around and the blonde guy was standing there with his hand still stuck in his pocket. "You two look like locals. You know where a guy can get a good muffin?"

I stood with my mouth a little open for a few seconds. My bodyguard was silent like he was supposed to be, just watching out for me and doing nothing else again. I stuck my fist on my hip.

"A muffin, huh? What are you trying to pull?"

Blondie looked confused.

I found my cheeks burning pretty soon, and with my stark skin, I knew he could see. It wasn't like he was coming on over-the-top sexy or anything. He was just looking at me funny. His eyes were all fixed and junk, but he had them set light on me, like he was happy to see me but not because he was impressed with who I was. I wasn't too used to being approached quite like this.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked plainly.

"Sorry," he said. "Did I say something wrong? I mean, I'm not really familiar with the urban setting, but there've got to be bakeshops around here. Even city kids eat bread, right? I just needed directions."

"You don't know," I said, pretty awed. "You don't recognize me?"

He flashed his pearls, giving me an amused smile. "Should I?"

"So you don't?"

"What?"

I took a step. "You don't know who I am."

"Want to just tell me?" he said, chuckling.

I stood still, meeting eyes with my guard. He didn't talk, my invisible shadow again. This hadn't really happened before, someone just asking for directions like I was a generic civilian. Apparently this blonde guy didn't seem like too much of a threat to my guard guy, seeing as my guard guy hadn't moved or told the blonde guy to back off. It stood to reason. I mean, the guy was tall as anything and seemed pretty in-shape from what I could gather, but he was skinny like a beanpole. He wasn't really the 'kidnap the Fuhrer's daughter' type.

I looked the blonde guy over up and down. He just stared at me with that dumb smile.

I sucked my bottom lip, getting a nasty taste of my red lipstick. "I'm actually headed to the best bakery ever right now," I said, gumming my lips to redistribute the color. "You want to tag along?"

"Best ever?" he said, reaching down at his feet to heft a giant brown suitcase. "That's an arrogant thing to say."

"Not if it's true," I said, leading the way with my heels clacking on the cobblestones.

"My name's Maes," he said, matching my pace and sticking out his hand.

"I'm…" I took his hand. "I'm Riza." When in doubt, use your mom as your alias.

Maes chuckled like I'd said something funny and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Riza."

My face burned hotter and I knew he could see me flushing up now. I couldn't help it. Most guys kissed my hand when they met me. I wasn't expecting him to shake it like he was shaking a cold fish. Like he was shaking hands with my dad.

I looked at him. He seemed so freaking energetic. "How old are you?" I asked.

"How old are _you_?"

"You don't ask girls that!" I said. "I turned twenty-one last May." Or, that's what it said on my ID.

"That's nice," he said. "We're both milestones. I'm eighteen as of Saturday. You can legally consume alcohol in any country across the map, and I can be charged as an adult if I commit murder!"

I laughed. "Happy birthday."

We made it to the bakery and everything started smelling warm and buttery, like fresh bread and cakes. With all the late summer air getting all crisp and stuff, walking into the cozy bakeshop was like a sweet transition. It was always like this, like walking into a special world.

People started stepping aside out of line like they were parting waters. Like they always did. I led Maes through like I didn't realize they were doing it for me.

"Hey, Riza?" said Maes. "Are you some kind of wanted criminal?"

"What?"

"Everyone here looks intimidated by you."

I frowned. "Do I look like a criminal?"

"I've heard of worse." He stepped up to the counter with me and looked around at the selection. "Well, maybe you're famous or something. I mean, you are gorgeous. You're definitely the 'famous-or-something' type."

My face was getting warm again. I started remembering in my childhood my dad telling me he'd "burn all my suitors alive" for me when I got older. I snorted to myself.

"Can I help you?" asked my regular girl with the carrot pigtails. "Oh! It's you, Miss Mustang!"

I got stiff, the blush in my cheeks burning up under my eyes. I looked at Maes. He was turned around, asking my bodyguard for advice on what to get. My bodyguard was actually showing human emotion as he pointed to stuff all excited and opinionated. Who knew baldy had a thing for pastries?

"Just my muffin," I said, pointing at the spice breads. "And a milk."

"Me too," said Maes, stepping up next to me. "And coffee. Really strong coffee, hot enough to scald my tongue off. You guys make that here? I'm buying for both of us."

"Of course!" said carrot-top. She looked dang enthusiastic now that she'd seen him with his pretty eyes looking at her.

"No, that's weird," I said. "I've got money. And you shouldn't get coffee. It's all instant here. They make bread, not drinks. Just get milk."

Maes made a face. "Are you kidding? I'll take the nasty coffee, thank you."

"You should drink milk. It'll make your bones strong. Coffee just stains your teeth."

Maes raised his light eyebrows at me. "Are you seriously going to lecture me about health benefits? Milk may be beneficial for your bones, but yogurt has calcium for your bones and then it has probiotics for your digestion as well. Plus it has a heck of a lot more protein than milk when you put the two next to each other. And then there's cheese…"

"Drink the coffee," I said. "It's your funeral."

"It'd be a happier death than if I'd drunk the milk." He smiled. "You know, you kind of remind me of my mom?"

So, I'd been giving off the 'mom' vibe? "Thanks."

Maes stepped to the counter while I was distracted and paid for my muffin. He let me pay for my milk.

The sun was more in the sky when we got out of the bakery. I licked a crumb off my mouth, stepping into the open. Maes threw out his half-drunk coffee.

"Okay," he said. "That muffin was pretty good."

"Told you it was the best ever," I said. "You inhaled that thing."

"Best _bakery_," he said. "Best _baker_ still goes to my mom."

"Your mom cooks?"

He laughed. "Yeah, my mom cooks. Yours doesn't?"

"She makes awesome pancakes. Really awesome."

"Sounds good."

"She makes eggs too. And canned peas. But that's pretty much it." I shrugged. "She's good at everything but cooking, I guess."

"She sounds cool," he said. He hefted his suitcase up like it was heavy and he was struggling to hold it up all the way. I couldn't help thinking to myself that if it was heavy for him, I'd probably snap my arms off my shoulders trying to lift it up. I had a fleeting childish desire to try it out. The suitcase made a metallic clinking sound like it was stuffed with more than just clothes.

I eyed him. "You must be from way far out."

"Not too far."

"You dress like you're from way far out."

He shrugged, shooting a glance down at his tacky red trench-coat. "Nope. Just inherited my old man's sense of style. It's bold, right?"

"Bold to wear it out of the house," I said quietly.

Maes laughed with his head thrown back. "Oh, man. My dad would murder you right now if he were here." He paused, scanning me up and down. "Well, maybe not you."

"My dad would probably roast you alive if he were here right now, no matter who you were."

Maes smirked like a gremlin, all crooked and junk. "I believe it."

"Oh, my gosh!" shouted a woman's screechy voice. "It's Fullmetal!"

Maes slumped. My bodyguard stepped closer to me, blocking me from the woman's sight and the attention of all the people who were turning their heads with her howling all over the place.

"Fullmetal! Edward Elric! My hero!" she squealed. She was wearing the blue uniform and I could make out from her little badges and junk that she was ranked sergeant. She looked too cute to be military. What kind of soldier took the time to do make-up and perfume and put curlers in her hair before coming in to the Command Center?

"I'm sorry," said Maes all calm and gentle, repeating the routine from earlier. "You're mistaking me with someone else."

"When I was a little girl," she continued, "I used to fight over you with my friends. I was convinced I was going to marry you someday. Isn't that funny?"

"Yes," said Maes, backing up from her as she stepped forward. "But I'm not Fullmetal. See, Fullmetal is in his late thirties. I'm not."

"But, you have to be him," she said, boiling down. "You're wearing his coat."

"I'm a huge fan," said Maes, shrugging. "Sorry."

"Oh," she said. "Well, I guess your hair is a little short."

The soldier lady apologized, asked someone off the street to take a picture of her and Maes together, and left. Maes watched her go, silent. People slowly stopped staring.

"You know," Maes said finally, twiddling the honey-blonde sprigs at the back of his head, "This has been happening to me a lot since I got here."

I folded up my arms. "Maybe you should take off the tacky jacket."

"No, this baby's my favorite!" he said, showing it off to me with way over-the-top pride. He looked down at me and smiled really big. "Who knew muffins could be so fun? I thought my first morning in this city was going to be boring. I'm glad I got to meet you."

"You saying goodbye?" I asked, turning to face him.

"I have some big obligations," he said, looking down with a chuckle. He looked up. "But I'll see you around."

"What kind of obligations? I thought you were just vacationing."

"I am." He held up his suitcase like it explained something. "This is how I like to vacation."

I held onto my purse-strap all awkward, feeling ditched. Most guys waited for me to say goodbye first. I didn't know how to do it this way around.

"What's in the suitcase?" I asked.

He flipped open his watch and looked at the ticking face. "You know what? I'll tell you later." He flipped it closed. I glanced over the silver pocket watch in his hand. It looked kind of like my dad's old State Alchemist ID before the military issued the new gold-plated ones. Nifty antique.

Maes looked at me. "My first job's at half past eight. I have to run." He put his watch away in his pocket and grabbed up his suitcase. He smiled, "Bye, Riza. Bye Riza's friend."

He waved and then he walked. I watched him, jaw slack. My bodyguard next to me probably looked pretty much the same as I did, only less stood-up and more just stunned.

I took a clackity step, tightening my grip around my purse-strap. "Maes…"

He slowed down his pace enough to turn his head. He was grinning, the corners of his mouth curled in a crooked smirk. "Don't worry about it, Nina. I know where I can find you."


	2. Chapter 2: My Fuhrer King Daddy

Author's Note: Seriously, I usually don't post chapters less than 24 hours after the last one, but I already had this lying around. It's still the start of the story, so I'll splurge. Go ahead and read!

Hawkstang: Yay! A familiar reviewer! Haha, yes, Maes hates milk. I'm actually not that wild about milk either. It always looks like murky white bathwater to me. I feel Ed's pain.

Jess: Thanks! I'm excited about this story. It's writing out pretty smooth so far.

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Chapter 2: My Fuhrer King Daddy

My mom and dad had this bad habit of saying the wrong thing at breakfast first thing out of bed. Like, sometimes they'd come out of their bedroom in their pajamas and robes and they'd still be calling each other 'Colonel' and 'Lieutenant,' like they were still spring chickens in their twenties. It was cute when they did it like pet-names during the day, but first thing out of the bedroom was just unsettling. One time I heard my dad laughing in the hallway and my mom saying he was worse than Hayate. Comparing my father to a small dog? I didn't trust harmless proclamations like that.

I got back home from having breakfast in town around eight something. Mom and Dad were still stuck in their room. I decided it was better like that. I told my bodyguard I was good to go and shut the door on his face. Something in me didn't want the guard telling my dad about Maes.

I went to my room and kicked the mattress so Brown Hayate woke in jump. He scratched his ear and fell back asleep under my burnt pillowcase. I huffed. I stripped. I got back in my pajamas and ruffled my hair out if its bun so it was all tangled up and fresh out of bed. I topped it off by scrubbing all the make-up goop off my face, like taking off a freaking mask. I swore Mom, Dad, and Janie from Public Relations were the only human beings who'd seen my actual face since I was twelve.

I heard a bunch of rattling in the kitchen around nine. Before my parents realized I'd made my way into the kitchen, Mom came behind my dad to make coffee and said, "So, not completely useless on rainy days." It wasn't even raining. Dad smiled and reached for his canister of instant granules with one hand. Mom straightened suddenly then pushed him when he started laughing, which made me think he'd probably done something to her with his other hand.

I made my footsteps audible before coming all the way in to give them some warning. 'Old-people love' was sweet, but 'old people lust' was something I could have done without witnessing.

"Morning, Nina," said Dad, cutting past Mom to steal my first hug. "You're up early. You got school?"

I squeezed his trunk-like body. "No classes on Sundays, Dad."

"Right."

"You two got plans?" I asked.

Dad looked at Mom, fighting a sneaky smile, and she raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

Dad turned back to me. "No plans."

"Nice," I said flatly. "You want to play cards?"

"You know I'll kick your butt," said Dad.

"You know you're all talk," I said. He really was professionally terrible at poker. "I'm thinking 'Stud'?"

"Nina?" Mom said. She came over with a frown, taking my arm and pulling it into better view. "Sweetie, what's this?"

It was a bad sign when she stooped to calling me 'sweetie.' She held up my wrist where a tiny fleck of heat blistering remained along the knobby bone. I jerked my arm from her and looked at it myself.

"Guess I missed a spot," I said, inspecting the tiny burn. "Should keep my hand more on the circle from now on. Yeah, I probably should have mentioned to you first thing that I forgot the band-aids last night."

Dad tilted my chin up so he could look at my eyes. "You've been having the nightmares again."

He said it like they'd stopped in the first place. He said it like he'd made some completely discerning paternal observation. I held up my wrist like I was showing off a glitzy bracelet.

"I need to fix this up before it leaves a mark. Save me some burnt toast and real coffee, okay? None of Dad's instant crap." I sucked on my lip. "Oh, and I'm going to need a new pillowcase. Maybe one that doesn't show scorch marks. Sorry, Mom."

Sometimes it was just better to tell them everything at once like it was no big deal, even though I knew they'd make it a big deal.

"Here, Nina," said Dad, all gentle and caring. He touched the side of my arm. "Let me do it."

"I got it, Dad," I said, pulling my wrist close to my chest like I was hogging it to myself. "I still have that circle you gave me. You taught me how to activate it so I could do it on my own, remember?"

On. My. Own. Remember?

"Was it a bad one?" Mom asked, sitting at the table like I was about to sit next to her.

Dad scribbled out a circle on a napkin without paying any kind of attention to what I'd said. "Put your hand down, Nina."

I plunked next to Mom and let my hand flop on the stupid napkin. My dad was such a show-off. He could draw all the alchemy crap like that from memory like he was writing out his ABCs.

Dad made the circle glow red and I made the mistake of wincing. It always stung more when I'd waited a while to heal it. Mom looked sad. The circle died and my wrist was smooth again.

"Thanks, Daddy," I said. I pulled him down by his t-shirt sleeve to kiss his prickly cheek. It was like when he used to heal the burns for me when I was a tiny little girl. When he was still new at being a dad.

"Sure, Nina," he said, smiling.

"Your toast's burning," I said.

"Dammit!" Dad had never toasted anything short of charred as long as I could remember. Pretty pathetic for an alchemist who specialized in fire.

"Nina," said Mom, looking at me with those hyper vigilant hawk's eyes of hers. She leaned toward me while my dad ran to salvage our toast. She was doing that thing where she thought I'd tell her more if I knew he wasn't listening. "Was it a bad one?"

I held up my fresh hand for her. "Well, it wasn't a good one."

"It's alright to talk about it," she said.

"I'm a big girl, Mom."

"It's still alright to talk about it."

And then I did something stupid. I did stupid stuff when I got uncomfortable. Mom trying to shrink me made me uncomfortable. So I got stupid and tried to flip the subject on them. "So, you guys ever meet a soldier called 'Fullmetal' back in the day?"

Mom froze where she leaned. Dad yelled, "ouch!" Apparently my question startled him into jerking his arm up and burning his finger on the broiler where he was toasting some new bread. I suddenly really regretted mentioning it.

"Hey, want me to heal that?" I said, wagging the napkin with the circle at my dad.

The doorbell rang like a giant set of wind chimes, pulsing the air, or that was how it seemed right about then. It was the front, which meant the guard at the front was ringing it because the guard figured the unexpected guest was someone we'd want to see. I cringed. Probably Celime Bradley.

I darted across the hall to my room like a total coward. "Tell him I'm not decent."

Dad laughed, sucking his finger. "None of us are." Dad liked the fact that Celime was crazier about me than I was about him.

"It's Sunday," said Mom, all exasperated, pulling on her pale satin robe. She looked way too sexy to be forty eight.

"I got it," said Dad, sighing as he shoved my mom out of the way and went to the door himself. Mom smiled behind his back. She pretty much loved him for still not wanting guys to see her in her pajamas.

The door creaked. Light from outside poured down our dim hallway, Dad's broad body silhouetted holding the knob. I blinked. Mom and I peered from my room. Dad's shoulders sank like he'd been struck by some kind of numbing tranquilizer.

"Full…" He gulped. "…metal?"

Maes laughed, stepping into the doorway. He patted Dad's arm. "Striking resemblance, huh?" He set his suitcase down and put out his hand. "It's been a while, Uncle Roy."

Mom pushed past me. "Maes?"

I stepped beside her. Maes?

I could see from behind. Dad was hardening. He focused his black eyes, the look on his face getting cold. I'd known this day would come. Oh, please, don't burn him alive!

"How's your father?" Dad asked, stepping aside for Maes to come in. He didn't shake his hand.

I gulped.

Maes grabbed his suitcase and waltzed in, winking at my mom and then continuing to the sitting room like he'd been invited to do that or something. "He's good. He's anxious to hear about how you're doing. You and Auntie Lieutenant." Maes chuckled.

Mom looked at me like she sometimes looked at dad, serious. "Stay put, Nina."

I nodded. Maes hadn't said anything to me yet, so I figured it was pretty much okay if I just pretended we'd never seen each other before now. Especially after how my parents had reacted when I'd mentioned 'Fullmetal' earlier.

I stood in the hallway while my parents followed Maes to the sitting room, pretty funny that they were following. I could hear what was happening from where I was.

"Wow!" said Maes. "Lieutenant, you've got a lot of smile lines. They're amazing!"

I felt my eyelids stretch a bit.

"Thank you, Maes," said Mom, not thankful. "You've grown up a lot yourself."

Maes laughed. "Well, I'd hope so. I was a squirt last time I saw you guys."

"You remember?" asked Dad. He was using that voice where he was trying not to sound impressed. "You were two."

"Mom says my memory's too good," Maes said.

"I'd say so," Dad grumbled.

"Dad thinks it's cool," said Maes.

"He would, wouldn't he?"

"Roy," Mom hissed. She was doing that whisper that everyone could hear. "So, Maes, what brings you…here?"

"I turned eighteen last week, remember?"

"Oh," said Mom after a couple seconds of dead silence. "Of course we remember."

"It's alright," said Maes. "You don't have to remember everything." I heard Maes sigh long. "So, my Dad has all these stories from when he was younger, all these places he went and all these people he met, things they did. I guess I just wanted to go out and see for myself. Mom said I could go when I was eighteen. That's all."

"So, why'd you come here?" Dad asked.

Mom cleared her throat like she did when she was embarrassed. Apparently Dad had asked a stupid question.

Maes let out a little laugh, the first melancholy sound I'd heard out of his throat. "Because, you're two of my dad's best friends." Maes paused. "And my mom likes you, too."

"He was a good soldier," said Dad, making it clinical.

"No he wasn't," said Maes, cracking up like my dad had told a joke. "Soldiers follow orders." His laugh was smooth like currents of electricity. He sighed. "You two are still wrapped up in all that military stuff, huh, Aunt Riza? That's okay. Dad's still wrapped up in alchemy. People don't change, not who they are, not really. It's kind of nice. You're still you."

"What are you here for, Maes?" Mom asked.

"Are you worried I'll say something to Nina?" he asked. "I haven't said anything about her so far. She's listening right outside the door."

I squirmed in my skin, wondering if it was too late to run back to my room and play dead.

"Nina?" Dad called all firm and stuff.

I clomped into the sitting room. "Mom told me to stay put. So I stayed put."

Dad rolled his eyes at Mom. She gave him a look that pretty much said he'd be sleeping on the couch if he didn't chill out.

"Hello," said Maes. "Nice pajamas. You look really messy."

I felt myself go rosy. Something about the way he said it made me feel flattered.

"It's time for you to go," said Dad. "Maes."

"Oh," said Maes. "Did I catch you in the middle of something?"

"Breakfast," I said before my dad could say something rude.

"Got you," said Maes. "Sorry. I feel terrible now."

He just about plunged his hand into his red coat pocket. It jingled around his fingers. He pulled his hand out again and held it out to my dad, a few dinky coins resting in his palm. I counted five hundred and twenty cens. My parents stared, their eyes hazing, expressions shifting. Everything around Maes got silent and still.

"It would have been more fun if we could have done the drill," said Maes, "like my dad promised. Borrowed more money until you fixed Ishval and then more until you fixed the government. But you already did all that. So, here you go. I guess that's it. You're done with us, Uncle Roy." Maes smiled. His golden eyes looked deeper than they had before, kind of distant. "I'm glad I got to see you again."

Dad was looking at Maes now, not the coins. "Five hundred," he said, "and twenty cens." He put his hand out pretty hesitantly and picked up the coins one by one, slow. It was like he was kind of thinking it through as he picked up each one, thinking through every movement. I didn't like watching it.

"Roy…" said Mom, walking over and touching Dad's arm.

Dad's eyes darted at me like he was saying something to her with his gaze. She let go of his arm. Mom came to Maes and wrapped her arms around his skinny body. The top of her head just barely came up past his jaw. She gave him a tight, maternal squeeze. "We're glad we got to see you, too, Maesy."

Maes didn't look surprised at all to have her hugging on him, like he was kind of familiar with maternal squeezes. He put his long arms over her, patting her back with one strong, gentle hand. "Careful with the pet-names, Aunt Riza," he said, releasing her. "I don't mind it so much, but my Dad can't stand it when people call me that."

I sucked my lip. Mom had wetness on her bottom lashes. I hadn't seen her cry since three years ago when I'd graduated and agreed to study close to home. I felt like I didn't want to be around her at all. Or around my dad. Something told me that they wanted Maes gone because he was what made them like this.

This time my dad did shake Maes's hand. "Thank you for paying me back for him."

"Well, it was about time," said Maes, grabbing his suitcase. "I guess I'll see you in the papers."

I felt my mouth opening up to say something, but nothing ended up coming out. Maes walked out and the three of us shuffled after him at a pretty safe distance to see him off. Mom held onto my wrist like she was keeping me from being swept off by a current.

"Hey," Maes called across the hall. "Uncle Roy, I figure I'll kidnap your daughter sometime."

I heard my dad's house shoes screech across the polished wood floor as he pivoted to an abrupt stop and I seriously prayed Maes would make it out of the house not in a body bag.

"Say that again?" said Dad, coming into view. It was rhetorical, but Maes repeated himself anyway.

"Well, I've decided I'm going to steal her one of these days. You know, when it's convenient for everyone. I thought I'd keep you posted so you'll know who did it when the time comes."

The scary thing was that Maes looked dead-on serious. It was kind of invigorating how he said it like he was mapping out a picnic in the backyard.

Dad smiled like a serial killer, his brow getting all twitchy. "I should have Fullmetal burned at the stake for procreating."

Dad was clearly fuming, and Mom held tighter like she was threatened by Maes's words, but it was weird—neither of them seemed particularly threatened by Maes.

"Hey, now," Maes said, putting up his hands defensively. "Don't blame Dad. I was a surprise-baby. Procreating me was a complete accident on his part."

I covered my mouth really too late and I laughed really too hard. "Oh, God!" I cackled, quaking. "Did he really just say that?" The shift was too much to resist. Mom shook her head at me.

"See?" said Maes. "I got a smile out of her. I get points for that." He turned to my dad and saluted with the wrong hand and I kind of realized he was doing it on purpose. Maes shot me a crooked smile and turned to the door.

"Where are you going?" I blurted, not really questioning why it mattered so much. Mom pulled on me.

He glanced back at me, holding his hand still on the doorknob. "I've got some obligations."

"Well, what's in the suitcase?"

He grinned really wide, like he couldn't have been happier I asked. "I'll tell you later."

I felt my dad's big hot hand on my shoulder when Maes shut the door behind him. Mom still had her hand on my wrist, still tight as anything.

"And here I was almost sorry to see him go," said Dad.

The door swung open again and my mom pricked up like an animal. Dad glowered.

Maes looked at him. "I'm pretty sure burning my dad at the stake counts as cruel and unusual punishment, Sir."

Maes shut the door again before we could say much of anything back at him. Dad's hand got tighter on my shoulder. Mom's hand went off my wrist and she laced her fingers with my fingers.

"Of all the things Fullmetal could have done to me," said Dad, "he had to have a son."

"Come on, Daddy," I said, turning and hugging my arms around him. "He's just a dumb kid spouting off. I get hundreds of threat-letters every year, right? So, really, no big deal."

Dad sighed, patting me like he was burping a baby on his shoulder. "That kid's a threat on a whole new level."

"What makes you say that?" I asked all cute and reassuring.

"He's here," Dad said in a bitter way. "And that's all I need to know."


	3. Ch 3: Daddy's and Fullmetal's Bro-mance

Author's Note: Another chapter posted nice and quick! I'm completely spoiling you guys.

Hawkstang: Holy crap! That's ridiculous because I pretty much never drank my milk and I was up to five-foot-five by the time I was twelve. I'm a frickin sky scraper now. But, who knows? Maybe I would have been five-ten if I had drunk it all like a good girl. Oh, gosh. Stupid milk.

ilovebooks: Haha, this chapter will explain a lot about how much Nina knows. Thanks for the encouragement. Gives me a reason to keep posting new stuff in a timely fashion rather than just doing it whenever like no one's reading. See, I love writing, but I actually have to edit and revise the junk I post. Not much motivation in that on its own.

* * *

Chapter 3: Daddy's and Fullmetal's Complicated Bro-mance

Dad reached inside the breadbox and pulled three slices off a whole-grain loaf. Mom and I stepped a little back from the kitchen. He tossed the slices over a plate and snapped his fingers, burning them into charred toast on their way down.

"There," he said. He leaned on the counter. The five hundred and twenty cens from Maes jingled in his flannel pocket.

"Dad, that looks nasty. I'm not eating transmuted toast."

Dad frowned. He looked at me. "Because you already ate, right?"

I paused. "I just got up."

"I meant before you got up a second time."

I looked at my mom, assessing the horrible situation. She didn't look too fazed. Just looked at me like Dad was looking at me.

"What's the problem?" I asked. I needed to figure out what they knew before I started spouting.

Dad smiled like he was bitter about something, like he wasn't actually happy about anything at all. "Riza, is your daughter trying to use interrogation tactics on me?" Dad laughed a little. He locked eyes with me, all severe. "I'm the Fuhrer, Nina. I have pretty tight security around this place. You can't run off without me knowing about it. Silencing one guard isn't going to throw me off."

Poor baldy. I hoped I hadn't gotten him in trouble.

"I'm a big girl," I said, still keeping my replies to a minimum. He may have been talking like he knew everything there was to know, but that was what he wanted me to think. "I didn't want to wake you guys up. It's your morning to sleep in, right?"

Dad's eyes widened a little. He was getting that impatient look. But even so, undertones in his expression let me know that he was a little proud of me for keeping it up rather than breaking down straight off and spilling my guts like a little child.

"Nina Mustang…"

"Yes, Daddy?" My main deal was whether Dad or Mom knew I'd met Maes before he'd come to visit. It was pretty likely. But it probably would have been better for them to bring it up first anyway. "Is something wrong, Daddy?"

He exhaled, folding up his arms. "Would you have pretended to be just out of bed this morning if you hadn't thought going out on your own earlier was wrong?"

Maybe they didn't know. Baldy was the only one with me. "Well, I…" I looked away so he couldn't get me nervous with his black eyes. "Well, I went back to bed after I got home. I'd been up pretty early. I had that nightmare, remember? I wasn't pretending about anything."

"You want to tell me why you're still lying?"

I looked at him, biting my lip. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Nina."

"Your toast's getting cold. You should probably burn us some more."

"Nina!"

Mom came up next to me all straight and tall, a steady four inches over my height easily. "Roy, you go ahead and finish making breakfast. I'm going to help Nina comb out the nests in her hair."

"Riza…" Dad looked hard at her, reading her. He didn't seem to come up with much. He sighed. "Go."

I patted his elbow before heading for my room. "Cheer up, Dad. I'm sure we'll get it out of each other eventually."

I went into the hall. I heard Mom and Dad's lips sucking and smacking and kissing before Mom's slippers padded behind me. I shuddered, holding open my bedroom door for her. Goodbye kisses seemed more like their secret handshake sometimes.

Mom shut the door behind us and locked it. I would have been impressed that she'd locked Dad out if I hadn't already figured out a long time ago that she usually only locked Dad out to make me think it meant she'd keep all this between just us two. Brown Hayate came out from the covers and yawned with his whole jaw.

"What are you doing, Hayate?" Mom said. She sat on my bed and scratched his neck. "When did you sneak in here, huh? Your bed not good enough for you?"

"I let him in here last night," I said. "He smelled the smoke."

Mom looked up at me, her face pinched like I'd upset her on purpose. I walked to my bathroom and grabbed a pink comb. May as well have a legit operation and do what we said we were going to do.

"He probably really has to pee," I said. "Let him out. Dad can take care of him."

I heard my door unlocking, creaking open, Hayate's collar jingling, his nails scratching the floor, then my door closing and locking shut. I came out with the comb. Mom was pulling up my quilted comforter for me.

"Did you scream?" She kept her eyes down on my bedding. "Cry?"

"You would have heard me," I said. "I'm okay. I would've just gone back to bed like always."

"Nina, baby…"

I stepped in front of her before she could start fluffing pillows. I shoved the comb in her hand, jumped onto my bed, hugged my knees, grabbed a fistful of hair, and wagged the black mess at her. "These locks ain't going to comb themselves." I made a grin.

Mom smiled back, soft and maternal, the surrendering kind where a mom realizes all the crayon on the new wallpaper is the prettiest art she's ever seen. "You're right." She crawled to me with her knees and knelt behind me. She started combing from the bottom, untangling the nests I'd tangled up myself. We were quiet. We were just kind of winding down.

"Nina…"

"Who's Fullmetal?"

Mom fumbled with the comb a little and I heard a few of my hairs snap into split ends.

I pouted. "Ouch."

"Fullmetal," said Mom, "was a soldier, a State Alchemist. He retired before you were born. He…"

"I know that part," I said. "Who was he to you? Who was he to Dad?"

Mom was silent so I waited. She started combing straighter. "He," she said, "was your father's most trusted friend for a while."

"Was?" I said. "So, he's dead?"

"No," said Mom. "No, he's fine. He's just…not our friend anymore. Not since you were a little girl."

"Why don't I remember him? Did I ever meet him?"

"You were about three and a half," she said, her voice slowing down a little. "We stayed at his house for the first few days after his son was born. In Resembool."

"Maes?"

"Yes, he's Fullmetal's son."

Made sense. "I don't remember." Saying it had become like a reflex for when anyone referred to stuff in my past.

"You liked him," said Mom. "His real name was Edward Elric and we had you calling him Uncle Ed. And he was good with you. He let you play with his metal leg. You banged on his knee like a xylophone with your fork after dinner."

"Metal?" I asked. "Like those automail prosthetics? Was he an amputee?"

"A childhood accident."

"He sounds like a nice enough guy," I said. "Why aren't he and Dad friends anymore?"

"Because," said Mom, "Edward broke your father's trust." She combed so slow and soft now I could hardly feel her pulling out the tangles. She brushed hair like a real mom.

"So, did he sell some State secrets to Creta or something?" I asked.

"During the final years Edward was in service, there was that conspiracy in Amestris. Maes Hughes, Elysia's father, died at the beginning of it, remember?"

"Dad's old pal from military academy?"

Mom nodded. "Roy turned to Edward a lot of the time after that. Edward had grown up some and he had insights into things that most people didn't understand. He and Roy could talk on the same level. I'd never seen anyone able to keep up with Roy quite the way Ed could. I guess they were both just too smart."

"What?" I chuckled. "Like, you were too dumb to communicate with Dad or something?"

Mom peered at me from over my shoulder. "I was not an alchemist. I didn't think the way those two did. There were just some things Edward could help him solve better than I could."

I put my hands up defensively. "Got it."

Mom leaned back again. "Your father shared a lot with Edward while Edward was in the service. Edward may have been just another subordinate on paper, but by the end of it Edward acted as Roy's equal. Roy saw him as an equal. Edward never gave a damn about ranks. I think Roy respected him for that."

"Dad trusted him as much as he trusted you?"

Mom nodded. "Roy shared things with Edward even after Edward left the service. Even when Edward made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing more to do with the military, Roy still talked about classified military affairs with him at visits like it was just casual conversation. In a way, I think that made it Roy's fault."

"Dad's fault?" I said. "What happened?"

Mom combed right down my head, past my shoulders, down my spine to the small of my back. She set the comb next to her on the crumpled up quilt. "We took that business trip, remember?"

"You mean _the_ business trip?" I asked. "The one before Dad was Fuhrer where you two were gone for ten days in January and I got the stomach flu halfway into it? Ms. Gracia tried to call you every day for a week but the snow made it hard for us to connect long distance. I lost four pounds."

"Yes, and we've apologized for that, Nina." Mom shifted on the bed so she was facing me cross-legged. She smiled. "We went to a conference in Ishval. Resembool wasn't too out of the way. We stopped there to visit Edward and his family on the way home to Central. We used to visit them a lot like that, especially Roy when he'd have to go alone. On business trips." Mom looked out my barred window, her eyes brown and heavy. "We went that time in January. Edward's wife Winry made us her grandmother's stew and apple pie from the oven for desert. She had one baby toddling across the floor and the new one on her hip. I remember being jealous."

I held Mom's doughy hand. She was a dang scary sniper, but she was also a completely gushy mother. I was grown up all the way now and she still hinted around like she always had at wishing she could have had me from when I was a baby. She squeezed my fingers.

"Your father and Edward went straight to the parlor after dinner while Winry and I cleaned up. We could hear them from the kitchen, their voice getting louder in waves as their conversations went up and down. To me and Winry, that meant our husbands were getting along." Mom laughed, looking distant. "Edward's son, Maes…" She looked at me. "Well, you heard him today."

I nodded.

"He was a bright little boy."

"I can imagine," I said.

"He was about two and a half," she said. "But he could talk and understand like he was already in nursery school. Winry had taught him how to read. Edward got him to list the basic principles of alchemy for us at dinner. The little guy could recite the periodic table of elements with Edward like they were singing nursery rhymes together." Mom chuckled, her eyes remembering. "It wasn't until before bed that Maes pulled out Edward's old book on rudimentary alchemy. Winry told Maes to pick out a bedtime story and Maes picked that one. He brought it to the parlor with the adults and started explaining it to Roy, every page, every diagram and array, telling him how to figure out the meanings behind the codes. At first Roy was impressed. He joked about Maes being a great State Alchemist someday. But, after Roy said that, Maes started bringing up other things, things that weren't in the book." Mom folded her hands stiffly like she didn't like telling this part. "He started talking about classified information that people outside of your father's closest circle weren't supposed to know about, and Maes wasn't just babbling random facts. Maes talked about the secrets like he understood them. Maes seemed to have figured out a lot of complicated connections and asked Roy to clarify certain parts he didn't understand. He had grasped everything so easily it was dangerous. Edward didn't even flinch. He just sat there with Winry like they thought it was normal for their son to be babbling with us about matters of National Security."

"What kind of matters?"

"Classified things," said Mom, dodging the question. "Nina, Edward could have been tried and executed for leaking that caliber of information."

"So, things you won't tell me?" I asked with my eyebrows raised.

Mom knew she didn't have to say it. "Edward had a rocky past with his own father. His father abandoned him and his little brother when they were very young. Edward ended up making a lot of mistakes that could have been prevented if his father had stuck around long enough to warn him. So, when Edward had children of his own, he and Winry decided that they weren't going to hold out on their kids. Edward told Maes everything." Mom laughed, but this time she was laughing like she was sickened. "Maes was two and a half years old and he was as informed as your father, the up and coming Fuhrer. Roy had kept strict confidence with Edward all through their relationship, and then we find out Edward had been feeding all Roy's secrets to Maes like story time."

"Well, Amestris is still in one piece fifteen and a half years later."

Mom's gaze on me hardened. I shrank a little. She was pretty scary when she got really serious and she thought other people were trying to joke around.

"Edward was one of Roy's closest friends," she said. "Mine too. The Elrics were younger, but they'd gone through a lot of hardship in their lives and that made them seem older to us. They weren't cookie-cutter like a lot of our other friends in Central. Our family and Edward's family had a lot in common."

"Yeah," I said. "Makes sense. Our family doesn't exactly fit the mould. Makes sense we'd relate to the weirdoes."

Mom looked sad. She didn't even play along with my sarcasm. I kind of felt bad for joking. "Roy and I thought of the Elrics as our one fool-proof friendship. Edward was the only man Roy gave that much credit to besides Hughes." Mom ground her teeth a little. "I hadn't realized Edward was still capable of acting with such irrational stupidity. Telling his two-year-old son, Maes, national secrets to somehow bring closure to his struggle with his own father. It was selfish. Edward should have kept quiet. There was no reason for his poor baby boy to grow up knowing what his father went through. We fought the battles so our children wouldn't have to."

Well, she and Dad had done a stellar job at keeping all of their little battles hush-hush from me.

"So, what happened?" I asked. "How does the story end?"

Mom wouldn't look at me. She swallowed. "Roy overreacted. He said some things about Edward that were true, things about Edward's time in the military. He mentioned a few things that had happened to Edward. Some of it Winry hadn't known about. Winry cried. That was it for Edward. We ended up leaving before we'd even unpacked for the night. And that was it." Her eyes looked shiny. I wondered if she was about to cry or if I was imagining it because I liked the idea of my mother crying over something like this, something she's delved up for me. Mom rested her elbow on her knee and her chin on her fist. "Winry and I used to write to each other and sometimes she would call, but we never heard from them after that. At first Roy and I were so shocked from what had happened that we didn't want to reach out to them either. By the time I started to really miss them, it had been too long. Roy never talks about them, so I don't talk about them either. That's why you don't know."

"That's pretty much unhealthy," I said.

Mom didn't frown. Just looked at me with her firm face. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Yeah," I said, leaning back on my elbows. "You guys don't tell me stuff. I don't really know anything about anything. It's cool. I get it."

"You don't need to know everything."

"Yep. I'm okay with that."

Mom scooted closer and snuggled next to me like she wanted me to lay my ear on her shoulder. So, I did. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Are you really alright being so sheltered? You didn't seem happy about us keeping the Elrics a secret from you."

"Just because I live with my parents doesn't make me sheltered."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Nina, be serious for a second," she said, putting her arm around me and rubbing my shoulder. "Are you really happy with things the way they are? I want to know."

I leaned on her more, sighing through my nose. "I guess I am."

"But…"

"But I'm not sure I see much happening for me later in life. You know, with the way things are going?"

"Alright."

I shrugged. "I know I don't act bland. I'm not a boring person or anything. But my life's been pretty uneventful. I haven't been out of Central since I was three. I guess the whole 'not knowing anything about me or about my parents' bugs me a little, but I kind of get more annoyed about sticking close to home all the time. You guys are my favourite people ever, but all my old friends went to colleges out of town and got married and stuff. I'd kind of like to make some new friends, you know?" Actually, now that I thought about it, Maes was the first person besides my guards I'd walked around town with in three years.

"What about Celime and Elysia?" Mom asked.

"They don't count." Stupid question. "They're childhood buddies. Family friends aren't the same. You and Dad made those friends for me."

Mom pulled away from me. She was laughing like I'd done something insanely cute.

I stuck out my lip. "What? I was being serious."

"I know, honey," she said. "You've just always been such a good girl. I don't usually get to hear you speak your mind like that."

"Sorry," I said.

"Listen, Nina," said Mom, getting off my bed and straightening the covers where she'd wrinkled them, "give Dad and I a break for today. It's been a rough morning. But maybe Monday night or Tuesday we can talk about making some plans for you. Sound good?"

Oh, now I understood. She'd seen me get excited over Maes coming over and then getting defensive over Dad asking me about leaving without permission. I'd gotten her nervous. I'd gotten her protective. She was appeasing me. Nice.

"Yeah, sure Mom. That sounds absolutely terrific." I didn't sound too enthusiastic. Probably because I didn't bother trying to sound too enthusiastic.

"Good girl." She helped me off the bed and straightened my side of the covers. "Get a shower and…"

"I already did."

"Get your clothes on and come eat breakfast with us."

I saluted. "Sir."

Mom ruffled my hair. I swore, she got so freaking motherly at me when I made her nervous. She headed to the door and undid the lock. I watched her back, her delicate shoulder moving under her satin robe as her wrist twisted my doorknob. She looked like a yellow-haired princess, like maybe she should have had wings. She'd always been like that. She was the princess and I was her little aqua-eyed fairy.

"Mommy," I said. I paused. She turned to face me. "Mom, does Maes Elric know more about me than I do?"

She stood still. "Yes, I suppose he does."

"That's why," I said. "That's why Dad broke it off with Fullmetal's family. He was afraid Maes would tell me all that stuff if our families kept being friends."

Her brow crumpled like I'd devastated her a little bit.

I sighed. "I'm not _that_ sheltered, Mom. Dad didn't care about Maes knowing all that classified crap. He just wanted Maes to get out and stay away from me, right? Are the secrets about me really that bad?"

"Nina, you don't understand."

"Sure I do." I shrugged. "I cost you guys your closest friends." And I guess it's pretty much clear that there's no way I'll be able to get within range of Maes to find out what's in that damn suitcase.


	4. Chapter 4: Why I Don't Bring It Up

Author's Note: This is getting gritty.

Hawkstang, let's trade heights. If FMA(B) has taught us anything, it is that there is great power in being short.

* * *

Chapter 4: This is why I don't bring this stuff up around you.

Monday was alright. My parents pretended to be comfy around me pretty darn well, for the most part. It helped that they spent most of their time working and shaking hands on weekdays. But we did okay. Tuesday was a little harder because they were home for dinner and we had to talk like we were actually having family conversation.

Plus, Mom had told me on Sunday we'd talk about my plans for the future later and we hadn't done it yet. What made it worse was my dad had been listening from the hallway for me and Mom's entire talk and all three of us knew it. Just none of us would come out and say it. It wasn't like I really wanted to talk about it all that much. I figured it would just be like going through the motions. It just sucked that they were convinced I did want to talk about it but they still refused to bring it up.

Anyway, I wasn't really mad about them not telling me junk either or even them not involving me in their whole beef with the Elrics. I wasn't even all that mad about them not wanting me to leave home ever in my life. Really, I could have lived with that if I had to. They were awesome parents most of the time.

No, the one thing that I couldn't seem to get over was Maes. And it wasn't Maes specifically. It was the concept of Maes. The fact that I met someone I got along pretty well with and the fact that my Dad probably wouldn't let me go near him if he knew. Those two pretty much simple truths were killing me. I was a grown woman who'd agreed to stay home as a favor to my dad. I wasn't there to be handled and controlled.

By Wednesday I had pretty much decided I didn't give a damn if my dad was afraid. And I didn't really care if my mom was afraid either. I just wanted to see the looks on their faces when it finally got out that I'd listen to what they had to say but in the end I'd just do what I wanted. So there.

I got out from my Monday-Wednesday drawing class around noon most days. The class was scheduled until noon-thirty, but the professors always let classes with the Fuhrer's daughter out earlier. Kind of an annoying little perk of being me.

I usually ate lunch with Elysia Hughes during her break on Wednesdays, but she didn't get off until half past twelve. She was part of a ballet coming out in the fall and they were pretty tight with showing up for rehearsals. I didn't feel like waiting around for her to show, so I walked home to put my bulky portfolio down and re-tie my heavy hair.

My bodyguard, whose name turned out to be Philip, let me through all the gates barring my front door. As we walked up the stoop together, I noticed a car parked up on the side of the road, a military vehicle. It was good looking, but it had a distinct puncture on the bumper, a battle scar I'd given it driving into a barbed wire fence on my first and only driving lesson.

"Dad's home."

"I unlocked the door," said Philip.

I smiled. "Thanks." I let my smile drop once I was past him. I walked into the hallway and let my guard close the door behind me. I heard my mom and dad laughing from the kitchen. I headed to my room, whispering firmly to myself, "Not right now, Nina." I sighed. "They're not ready."

Brown Hayate must have caught on that I'd come in. He ran to me from the kitchen and licked all over my hosiery-covered ankles. I muttered, "Dammit," under my breath.

"Nina?"

I stopped at my door. "Hey, Dad."

He came into the hall with a full head of lettuce in his hand. He was still in his uniform besides the hat.

"You guys off early?" I asked.

"No," he said, coming over to hug me. "We thought we'd have lunch at home, just us. We're due back in about an hour. You want to join us? I could have sworn you had plans."

"I do. I just wanted to put my stuff down."

"You going to stick around for a minute, baby?" Mom asked from the kitchen. It was a bad sign when she started calling me 'baby.' She was getting sentimental, something she didn't do too much. She'd been thinking about our conversation on Sunday more than she'd been letting on.

"No," I decided. "No, I don't think so." I went for my doorknob, ready to put my stuff in my room and escape. Brown Hayate wagged his little tail like he thought I was opening it for him.

"Nina," said Dad, his voice softening. He put his hand on my shoulder. I kind of accidentally shuddered, really not wanting to be touched. Dad took his hand off. "Do we need to talk?"

"Not now," I said stiffly. I'd figured on having more time to figure out how I was going to say what I had to say. "Seriously, not now."

Mom came into the hall with a loaf of bread in one hand and a bread-knife hanging from the other. "It's alright, honey. I already told him. We can talk about it. We didn't forget. We just needed time, remember?"

Hayate got distracted from me by Mom's bread and trotted over to Mom to wag at the people-food instead. I considered going into my room and shutting my parents out without answering. It seemed like a pretty amazing idea. But I didn't do it. I dropped my portfolio on the floor and turned around to face them. "I think I want to be friends with Maes Elric."

Dad dropped the lettuce like a severed head, like he didn't even care about lunch anymore. His face changed pretty much immediately. Yeah, he wasn't as over his thing with Maes as he'd said. All it had done was fester.

"Don't…" He tilted his chin down like he did to keep from showing emotion. "Don't even joke, Nina."

Mom had her eyes closed like she wasn't going to interfere, like she was already waiting for it to be over.

I was an idiot and decided to give Dad some attitude to get my point across. I stuck my fist on my hip. "You think I'm joking?"

"That kid is dangerous."

"He's not a kid," I said. "And he's not dangerous. He just knows junk. Doesn't mean I'm going to ask him about it. I just like him, okay?"

Dad's expression was hard like stone. He was standing up all the way tall, towering over me. It was like he was a bird puffing up his feathers to intimidate all the other birds that were exactly the same size as him.

"Anyone but him," he said.

"Nina," said Mom, standing with Dad, "please just take our word for it on this. It's a bad idea. You could be friends with anybody."

"Yeah, I could get along with pretty much anyone. I'm the Fuhrer's baby. Everyone's pretty much required by law to be excessively nice to me." I shrugged my shoulder up at my ear. "But Maes is weird. He doesn't even care. I like him."

"Nina," said Dad, looking sad, "if you want to go to school outside of Central, you can do that. If you want to travel and see the world a little, I can take you next time I have a business trip to somewhere interesting. You could bring a friend and go off on your own. I won't stop you from living your life. But you can't be around Maes. You can't be around the Elrics. That's just not an option."

I felt way terrible because I knew it was hard for Dad to let go and say all that stuff. And Mom looked actually completely proud of him for saying it. But they just weren't getting it.

"Look, I'm cool with living here, but I'm not going to live like you own me." A big part of me just wanted to leave it at that and ditch them where they stood. "I'm not stupid. I know you weren't always Fuhrer and Mrs. Fuhrer and I know what real soldiers have to do on the battlefield. I can't really blame you for all that. But I'm sick of living like I can't make mistakes because you two made enough for all three of us. You get me?"

Mom stared at me, shrinking. Her eyes had gotten grey and distant. "Yes, Nina. I read you loud and clear." I suddenly felt like I'd said something more horrible than I realized, but there was really no way to tell for sure.

"Go…" Dad's voice was low like a prowling wildcat. "Go to your room."

I stared at him for a second, blinking, wondering if he'd really just said it. I saw Mom hold his arm and her grip tighten. I hadn't been sent to my room since I was twelve years old, and he'd apologized three minutes later for overreacting.

I felt my face rising into a smile. I tried to stop it, but my eyes were scrunching and my chest was tickling inside. The first laugh was tiny and unintentional, but it felt so darn good that I just let it fly after that. I hugged my stomach, buckling over, my eyes watering. "Oh, God, Dad!" I cackled. "You don't own me. I'd sooner go back to hell!"

"Don't say that!" he said, sounding kind of hurt even though I was getting him angry.

"I would," I chuckled, straightening. My laughing died down. I breathed. "I would. If it meant you'd listen to me for a second, yeah, I would. I'd go right back into hell."

Then something happened that hadn't happened before. Not once. Not ever. And it was pretty darn for certain that if I hadn't brought up my interest in Maes Elric, flaunted my apparent knowledge of Mom and Dad taking lives on the battlefield, and talked so loosely about the Gate, things would have gone different. But I'd gone and kept talking against my better judgment and Mom and Dad had gone and gotten emotional. And that's when Dad did it.

His hand came like a flash—big, white, and fleshy—sweeping right across my face. It didn't hurt. It actually more just grazed me, just tapped against my cheekbone a little before stopping short. It had looked like Dad had meant to swing it harder when I'd seen him raise it up to smack me, so I figured he'd probably remembered himself before he got to me and tried to slow himself down. He just hadn't slowed himself all the way in time, so there was no hiding the fact he had wanted to smack me in the first place.

What bothered me was I didn't even close my eyes for it. I didn't even flinch. I just kept my eyes locked with his eyes, like if he'd actually hit me I would have just stood there and taken it without backing away. It was like I'd been hit before. I remembered my scars, the ugly marks dappling up my legs and all over my tummy and everywhere else. And even though I knew my dad had tried to stop, that he really didn't want to hurt me, that he'd made a big mistake that he'd never make again and he'd hate himself forever for it, even though it didn't even hurt, just the memory of his hand coming at me was enough.

"Oh, God!" he said, retracting his hand like he was holding lit dynamite and reeling back from us.

I just stood, watching him.

Hayate started to whimper all high pitched and pathetic. Mom looked drained white. "Sweetheart…" I couldn't tell if she was talking to me or Dad. Or maybe to the dog.

Dad was breathing quick like he was scared. I watched him and he couldn't look at me. "Oh, God," he said again.

"Nina…" Mom couldn't say anything past that. It was dangerous to say anything right then. Because chances were I'd remember it.

I clenched my hands into loose fists. "I am twenty-one years old," I said, my voice coming out more strong than it should have. "You don't get to spank me when I do something you don't like."

"No," said Dad, "Nina, that's not what I meant to do."

"You need space." I turned to the front door. "I have plans."

I walked out and shut the door on their faces. In my mind I was in there getting hugs and feeling better. But I guessed on the outside I was just too afraid to let them know I wanted to cry.

…

Elysia was stabbing her fork into a kalamata olive when I met her at the café outside Central's Fine Arts Academy. I didn't bother telling her the olive probably had its pit still in and wasn't going to stab. She probably knew.

I sat across from her under the veranda. The waitress skipped three parties waiting in line to give me a menu. I forced a smile when I took it. Elysia didn't look up.

"Where's your portfolio?" she asked sulkily, like she wasn't all that curious.

I folded my hands and looked at them. "I didn't come here straight from school this time."

Elysia didn't ask and I was glad.

"So, who's the guy?" I asked.

"He's not a guy," she said, pulling up her empty fork and tapping the prongs against her bottom lip. "He's a chiseled, golden God. Oh, Nina this one's a masterpiece!"

This was a good place to be. Elysia was great at talking about herself when she was between guys and I really didn't want to talk about me right then. "And…" I coaxed, flipping through the menu already knowing what I was going to get.

"And…he's about nine years younger than me."

"Elysia!"

"Shut up!" She took another stab at the olive. "He looks older than he is. Acts older. He's totally my type. He's the one. He was just born in the wrong year."

Elysia and I were six years apart, but lately I found myself acting like the adult in the relationship. She was tall, had a great figure, and pretty as anything. But, when it came to dating, she was kind of indecisive, to put it lightly.

"You'll get over him in a week," I said. "Maybe two."

"No!" she said. "Give him a couple years and he'll be fair game."

"Cradle robber."

Elysia gave up on the mutilated olive and impaled a couple hunks of lettuce instead. I took a sip out of her lemon water out of the side where there wasn't any pink lipstick smudging up the rim.

"So, he's gorgeous?" I said, implying that that wasn't enough. I needed her to keep talking.

"He's not just gorgeous," she said. "He's a perfect gentleman. And he talks to everyone like he knows them already. He and my mom were like old friends after the first half hour. And you know how quiet and sweet my mom is."

"Whoa!" I said, lurching in my chair. "You took him to meet your mother?"

Elysia saw the look on my face and giggled. "Oh, yeah, that's right. I guess I should have said he's our house guest right now."

"You've got a random guy staying at your house?" I just needed her to keep talking.

"No," she said, leaning her elbows down on the orange tablecloth. "He's not random. He's a friend of the family. His folks knew my dad. I've seen them off and on through the years when they'd go through Central, but this is the first time I've gotten to see Maes."

After a few moments of silence, I panted a little. I'd pretty much forgotten to breathe for a minute there. The backs of my eyes ached a little. Elysia waved her hand in front of me. The image of my Dad's white palm flashed in my mind. I jumped in my skin.

"Earth to Nina," she said. "What, did you lose interest already?"

"Maes." I swallowed. Suddenly I wished she'd stopped talking.

"Yeah, like I said, the Elrics were friends of my dad's. They named their first son after him. Adorable, right?"

"Maes Elric?"

Elysia blinked. "Yeah, that's what I said. Problem?"

I shook my head.

Elysia wouldn't shut up. "I have no idea how long he'll stick around. He says it depends. He arrived day before yesterday and he was gone most of the day, but he was around a little yesterday. He says he has a lot of 'obligations,' whatever that means. I think once those are taken care of he'll probably head back home."

"He sounds nice, Elysia."

"Yeah," she said, getting a whimsical grin all over her freckled cheeks. She perked up. "Wait, seriously?"

I nodded with my cheek on my hand, dropping my menu on the table. "Yep. He sounds like a stand-up guy. I give you my blessing. I hope you make each other very happy."

"You being sarcastic?"

"Only halfway."

"Wow, really?" Elysia smiled with her lips pursed. "I mean, he acts older. And he's so good looking."

"Sounds like a recipe for success."

I'd had this secret plan in the making for a while now where I'd get Elysia to bring a current boyfriend on a double date with me and Celime. Then I'd force her and Celime to fall in love while I had them together and I could finally stop worrying about them.

I tried to think about that.

"Holy cow!" a kid yelled from across the street. "It's Fullmetal!"

Elysia looked up from her salad. I kept my eyes down, pursing my lips together hard.

"That's him," said Elysia, pointing excitedly. "That's Maesy!"

I looked up slowly and scanned the plaza. A lot of people had come out for lunch and the cobblestones were crowded. I caught a flash of tacky red. I honed my gaze a little. Maes stood in the street in his red trench-coat with his hands up like he was at gunpoint. A little boy in a middle school uniform charged through the crowd toward him, gaga eyed. I guessed it was pretty cool that a kid that young would know Fullmetal in a crowd, even if it wasn't the real Fullmetal.

I watched the little boy sink in disappointment as Maes broke the truth to him. I caught myself licking the lipstick off my lips. Something about Maes liking me in my jammies on Sunday made me wish I wasn't wearing make-up. I stopped licking. My bodyguard, Philip, was watching from a table on my far left.

The waitress came up to me with her notepad while Elysia was up in her seat trying to get Maes's attention. I ordered a milk because it sounded kind of noncommittal. I wondered whether it would be worse to risk seeing Maes now and my dad finding out about it later or to risk going home with the chance Mom and Dad were still there waiting for me. I felt a flutter in my throat and I swallowed it down before it could sob out.

I reached in my purse for a couple coins to cover the milk. The waitress came over with it right as I was standing up. She flushed up like she thought I didn't like her or something. My face probably looked exactly like I didn't. "Hey, do me a favor and give that milk to my friend's boyfriend, okay?"

"Miss Mustang?"

"Thanks so much." I handed her the coins with a tip to make her feel not so hated. "See you, Elysia."

Elysia looked passionately shocked. "I just signaled Maes over!"

"I don't want to third-wheel things for you."

"Nina," she whined, "now it's going to be awkward."

"No," I said, swinging my purse over my shoulder, "he's not that kind of guy." I kind of wanted to hug her, but I figured she'd start asking me what was wrong.

"Nina, please?"

I patted Elysia's shoulder. "Call me later and you can gush all about it." I turned to the waitress. "Give him the milk and say it's on the house, got it?"

She nodded, a little confused looking, but happy now that I'd tipped her like she'd done a good job.

I watched Maes out of the edge of my eye as he came walking through the maze of tables. He was carrying that darn suitcase again. I thought about sticking around long enough to find out what was in it, like that was what would make everything all right. It didn't used to really matter. It was all small talk the first time I'd asked him about it. But the fact that he kept saying he'd tell me later made me think there was something special inside that I'd want to know about.

I looked over at my guard guy. He was already up with a to-go box in his hand. I gritted my teeth. I headed on home. Maes knew not to call after me.

That night before dinner, Elysia called me like I knew she would. Even if I hadn't invited her to call, she would have done it. Inviting her was more or less my way of feeling like I had some say in the matter. It was fine, though. My parents were out having their dinner with someone important again, anyway. They'd been gone by the time I'd gotten home from lunch and I kind of hoped they'd stay gone until I was already asleep.

Brown Hayate was an old dog and had already had his dinner and fallen asleep on the couch. I was more or less in an empty house. In a way, Elysia calling in the middle of me waiting on take-out made it feel like I wasn't eating alone. Even if she was only calling to talk about him.

"Oh, God!" she said. "He's so cute! I mean, when he smiles with those white teeth, it's like enough to make me cry."

"I take it he smiled a lot, then?" I asked, my voice quiet. "Did you guys exchange words, or did you pretty much just communicate in beautiful expressions?"

"I was getting to that part," she said. "You know, you're not very fun, Nina. Most girls like hearing about good looking guys."

"I've seen what he looks like," I said. "So, tell me about it. Did he drink the milk?"

"He paid a kid in the table next to us to drink it for him."

I smiled into my hand.

"Nina?"

I cleared my throat. "Sounds about right."

"We talked for almost an hour!" By 'almost an hour,' Elysia more or less meant she hadn't kept track of the time at all but, in her head, an hour sounded the most romantic. "He's so smart. He wouldn't say it outright, but I could tell. You know, his mom used to visit me all the time right after my dad died. She was like my big sister. Well, her parents were apparently doctors and Maes said he read all of their advanced medical textbooks when he was a little kid."

"He said that?" I asked, trying to sound like I wasn't skeptical at all.

"Kind of." Of course. "What he actually said was he never met any of his grandparents so when he was a little boy his dad suggested he try to get to know them from reading some of their old books."

"That's all?"

"Well, if Sissy's parents were doctors, he must have read their textbooks."

"And understood them?"

"Maybe."

"Elysia?"

"Yeah?"

I sighed. I hopped onto the countertop and swung my legs, my bare heels thumping the cabinets underneath. "Thanks for calling me."

"You told me to."

I smiled. She was so hopeless. "I'll see you later."

"You have to go?"

"I think my dinner's here," I lied.

"Aw!"

"Go hang out with Maes."

"I can't," she said, her voice getting all sulky and junk. "He left an hour ago. Said he had some more of those obligations to take care of."

I stopped kicking my heels. "Is he coming back?" I just wanted to know.

"Yeah, he said he'd be back before dark. But this is Central in August. It doesn't get dark until ten at night."

"Did he say where he was going?" I realized I wanted to know that, too.

"He never says where he's going."

I got off the counter. I was still in my dress and my thighs were getting cold on the marble-top. "See you around, Elysia."

"Sure." She sounded kind of bummed. "Bye-bye, Nina."

I waited for her to hang up first so she didn't feel too terribly ditched. I liked talking to her and everything, but I wasn't too wild about hearing her talk about Maes when I knew a lot of stuff about him that I wasn't allowed to say. I would've just had to listen to her like it was all news to me.

Philip knocked on the door with my food about five minutes later. It was big bagful. I'd ordered way too much kind of on purpose because there was no telling what I was going to end up eating and how much of it I was going to end up wanting, not when I was upset.

"Ah," I sighed, taking the bag from him in the doorway, "I love noodles. This place does great noodles."

Philip nodded his bald head. Poor guy hadn't had a break all day. He'd probably have a packed sandwich or something on the stoop for his dinner while he was stuck guarding me.

"Hey," I said, "want some?"

His face and posture kind of got sterner like he was acting extra professional to hide the fact that he totally wanted some. "No, thank you, ma'am."

"Like hell," I laughed. "Give me a second. I know you're not allowed past the front door unless there's some kind of an emergency, so I'll just eat out here with you. Okay?"

"I'm alright, Miss Mustang."

"Well, I can eat in front of you instead. That better?"

I went inside to get a couple forks and some napkins. I left the bag of take-out on the stoop with Philip.

"So, Phil," I said, handing him a fork, "You like pesto or bolognaise?"

He looked down at the steaming bag. He took the fork from me. "I think I smell alfredo."

"Now we're talking!" I sat on one of the front steps and grabbed a hot container from the bag. "Go on. Dig in."

My amazing guard and I were mostly quiet while we ate. We weren't being awkward or anything. We were kind of just using our mouths more for slurping down pasta than talking about stuff. I finished first. I wasn't just way smaller; I was also a way faster eater. Apparently Philip had a thing for savoring food when he ate it, appreciating every bite as it went down. It was pretty much the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

"Hey, Phil?" I said.

He looked up from a meatball the size of my fist.

I leaned back on the steps, looking up at the dusky sky. A couple hours and there'd be stars. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Ma'am?"

"I want you to stick around tonight." I closed my eyes and let the evening sun glow against my eyelids. "Then I need you to tell my dad what happened when he gets home. He needs to know it's not his fault."


	5. Chapter 5: Consensual Abduction

Author's Note: I'm so hungry. All the time.

Hawkstang: Thanks! And of course I respond to all the crazy things you say. They're dang funny :D

mixmax300: Yay! Glad you're here! I'm so pumped writing this and getting old commenters coming back. And chocolate milk is the staple of any childhood!

Shan-Shan XP: Haha! I love how excited you are. My sister gets like that when I read her my junk. It's friggin adorable.

PhantomhiveHost: Ha! I love how my old readers are all explaining themselves for not commenting sooner like you had some kind of obligation to me. You guys are awesome. Way to make my day :D

otakgirlyy: Dang! You read 'Babysitting the Boss Guy' fast! I read so slow it's embarrassing. It's awesome you like my updating pace. There _are_ times I don't keep up so great :S

I'd like to call to attention that we've all been talking about milk for four chapters now. Hahaha!

* * *

Chapter 5: Consensual Abduction

I held my head over the pink bathtub, on my knees like I was getting ready to break into prayer. The kitchen scissors were sitting on the tile floor next to me, ready to be used. I hadn't had my hair cut short since I was a little bitty thing. I was kind of scared.

I'd decided before I'd even gone outside to eat the take-out with Phil that I'd have to give myself bangs. And I'd have to do kind of a sloppy job with all of it. I couldn't leave my inky hair dangling past my shoulders all parted down the middle like always. My eyes would show too much and that kind of blue stuck out like none other.

The thing was, I knew I didn't have any reason to hide who I was because it wasn't like I was doing anything wrong. I just didn't want to stand out in a crowd the way Janie from Public Relations had conditioned me to do.

Just letting my hair down wouldn't be enough. I needed to get it looking not so much like I'd had a personal hair stylist since I was seven years old. So, I'd grabbed the kitchen scissors and headed for my bathroom the moment I'd thrown out the empty to-go containers from dinner.

"One," I said softly, flinging my hair forward and holding it over the tub in a fist. "Two…" I felt for the kitchen scissors until I got enough of a grip on them to slip my fingers in the slots. I took a breath. I didn't say three. I just kind of snipped.

I watched the clumps of dark furry mess plop into the bottom of the tub like bundles of black wheat gathered on the floor of a barn. I let go of my cropped haircut, feeling the remnants of my thick mop slide over my palm and end too soon. I shook it out and wiped the stray trimmings off my face where they were tickling my nose.

I stood up and went to the mirror, bringing the scissors with me. I'd done pretty amazing for a first attempt, gotten it just above my shoulders, and cut it more or less even enough. It didn't look perfect, but I wasn't going for perfect. I was going for average. I was looking very average.

I pushed some of my hair forward and snipped some shaggy bangs over my forehead, just over my eyebrows so I could see past them. I'd never had bangs before and I wasn't sure how I felt about them. I guessed they didn't look terrible, so that was a good sign. I dropped the scissors and scrubbed my face. With my hair sheered off and my face clear of that stupid make-up mask, I'd probably look half decent for once.

I really didn't want to bring too much with me, because chances were I'd be lugging it around on my own and I really didn't want to end up having to ask anyone for help carrying my stuff. That was okay, though, because I had no idea what to bring with me anyway. I hadn't ever packed a suitcase for anything but slumber parties and overnights with the Hughes family when my parents went away for excessive amounts of time. I knew what kind of stuff from my shower and bathroom drawers to jam in the bag, but as far as clothes went, I really had no kind of clue.

I had all my IDs and cash and junk in my purse already. I figured I'd better bring extra band-aids for my fingers and then the dumb alchehestry circle from my medicine cabinet in case I burnt myself up again. I thought about sticking a few pairs of panty-hose in there, but I kind of decided it was summer heat and I was sick of wearing hosiery to cover up my scars. They weren't _that_ ugly. I ripped off the hose I was wearing already, too. If I was going to ditch them, may as well go all the way.

"I'm a bare-legged, shaggy headed freak," I said to myself. "And I am so damn proud of myself it's not even funny."

I realized I didn't have any clothes that weren't expensive-looking dresses and I didn't have any shoes that weren't high-heeled. So I jammed a sundress in the bag with some frilly panties and my jammies and I called it good.

I came out of the house around eight and it was looking pretty dusky. I was counting on my parents being gone until after dark, though, so I had time. Phil stared at me like I was a different person or something.

"What, am I hideous or something?" I asked, kind of feeling silly but liking it.

"No, ma'am." He was getting ruddy like he was embarrassed.

"Just a little less polished, huh?" I swung my bag and my purse over the same shoulder. It felt kind of weird still wearing the dress and the shoes but everything else being stripped down to plain-Jane. It was kind of cool. I'd never flashed my beat-up legs to the world. And the little marks on my bicep and my forearm were usually covered with concealer or a bracelet or something. "I'm feeling wild. Let's prowl."

"Ma'am?"

"I'm ditching this place," I said. "And tonight you get to call me Nina. I'm tired to being referred to like I'm everyone's pre-school teacher."

Philip was quiet. Probably because he wasn't allowed to say, "Yes, ma'am," anymore.

"Tonight you're my friend, Phil," I said. I clacked down the steps, letting Philip lock up behind us. "You got a family, Phil?"

He walked next to me, getting me through the different gates and all the questioning looks from the other guards posted at the gatehouses. "I have two daughters."

"How old?" I asked, walking.

"Grown up."

"Like me?" I asked.

He nodded.

"They like you?"

"They like their mother." Poor guy didn't even sound bitter about it. He sounded sorry.

"Well, I like you," I said. "I don't know how you'd do as a dad, but you're a damn good guard-guy."

"Thank you." I caught him smiling.

"Tell my dad this part, okay?" I said. "The part about me being alright."

He nodded.

"You're not going to stop me?" I asked, wondering why he hadn't tried anything yet.

"I'm not your babysitter," he said. He looked like he was happy about that.

"If you were my dad, would you think I was leaving because of something you did?"

Philip didn't answer.

"Say you and one of your daughters were on good terms, right? And then you had a fight. A decently significant fight." I looked at him. I could hear my heels clacking as we made it onto the cobblestone street. "If she left home without saying anything that night, would you think it was because of something you did?"

Philip was quiet for a second. "Yes, Nina."

"I get that," I said, hugging the straps to my bag and my purse against my shoulder. "Well, that's why you're tagging along, Phil. You tell Dad it's not anything he did. I just didn't want to talk about it anymore, that's all. He probably feels worse about it than I do."

"Alright, Nina."

We crossed the slow moving street and headed for the center of town where I'd met up with Maes the first time. I figured that was a decent place to start.

"Phil?"

"Yes, Nina?"

"Tell me if you see him."

Philip nodded. I didn't have to say who.

It was getting past eight in the evening, so all the families had gone home from the town's center and all the drinkers and partiers were there gearing up for the nightlife. There wasn't too much of a crowd walking around, but there was enough of one for me to blend into it. I watched for Maes's red coat. I kind of wanted him to be there more than was probable.

I came out the other side after spending ten minutes walking around looking for him. Philip came out behind me, shaking his head.

"Yeah, figures," I said, folding my arms. "It was a long shot."

He nodded.

"Worse comes to worst, I'll just jump on a train and go to Leore for a week. Mister Armstrong keeps bugging us to visit since his family spruced it up." I looked up at Philip. "I'd just really rather get out with a person who actually knows what he's doing with this whole travel thing."

"I wouldn't want either of my daughters to travel alone," he said.

He was more or less saying he didn't feel too good about sending me off on the train without Maes with me. So, that was good.

"I don't have to go way far out," I said, walking away from the square and heading in the direction of the former Fuhrer King Bradley's memorial garden. "I think we all just need a little space, you know?"

"I understand."

"Do you?" I asked, walking past King Bradley's weather-worn bronze statue and trying to look reverent like I'd actually known the guy. "Sometimes I think space is the last thing we need. I get scared if I let go too much they'll just stop caring. Like, I'm not so sure I want them to learn to live without me."

"Dad's don't stop caring," he said. His voice was gentle. He actually sounded like a normal person. "Trust me. They don't ever learn how to live without their girls. They just realize how much more they cared than they thought."

I stopped walking. My chest ached right under the back of my throat. "That's it, I guess," I said, looking at the ground. "There's no way around it. Now I have to leave." I turned around. Central Station was just down the main road. I'd be there in fifteen minutes, probably, if I walked fast. It was getting late. "Philip, let's go."

"Miss Nina…"

I sighed. "Just Nina."

"Nina," he said, pointing, "I see him."

My eyes darted over to where Philip was pointing. It was that fountain, the giant one with a hundred tall spouts spraying dyed water up in the air like deep blue fireworks. The lights had already come on. It wouldn't be completely dark for a while, but the dim evening light was already enough to make the water look sparkly.

And there was Maes, that flash of hideous red with the golden haired head poking out the collar at the top. He was sitting hunched on the stone edge of the fountain with his elbows leaned on his knees and his head bowed down like he was looking at the gravely ground, at the old suitcase sandwiched between his feet.

"Thanks, Philly," I said. "Let's bring this mission to a close." I led the way. We got off the grass and onto the gravel and my shoes started crunching through and scuffing with every step. It was great. I'd never ruined any of my shoes before. "Maes!" I called. "Hey, Maes, look up."

I walked faster, swinging my bag and my purse up on the shoulder again as the straps started to slip. Maes picked his head up and straightened up a little, but not that much. He saw me coming over with Philip and smiled. But his smile was really light like his cheeks were too lazy to pull it up all the way. I came over and sat next to him, plunking me backpack down on the ground. Philip didn't sit.

"Hey," I said, pumped.

He attempted another smile, breathing slow. It seemed kind of like he was having to think about it when he breathed.

"Hey, are you good?" I asked, leaning at him. "You look completely sick."

"I'm tired," he said softly. His voice was weak coming out of his throat. "I think it's going to rain."

"Wow," I said. "I completely forgot to bring an umbrella. Dang."

Maes's shoulders kind of vibrated for a second like he was laughing. He didn't say anything.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked. "Because, I'm kind of relying on you to kidnap me before the clock strikes ten, and we're coming up on nine right now."

He shifted his eyes onto me, his expression slack. "Now's not a good time."

I shook my head. "It has to be."

"Sorry," he said.

I grabbed his wrist. "What if I said 'please'?"

"Wish I could," he said, glancing down at my hand on his wrist. "Emergency?"

I stared at him for a couple seconds. I looked away, letting go of his arm and putting my hands in my lap. I didn't like how much I wanted to tell him it really was kind of an emergency.

"I like your legs," he said, kind of breathless. "They look like a painting."

"Thanks," I said, hunching.

"Your hair looks like you got your head caught in a lawnmower." He said it like he meant it as a good thing, so I said, "Thanks," again. I hunched over some more.

Maes took a deep breath and winced, grabbing his stomach. I peered at him all skeptical.

"You got a tummy-ache?" I asked.

He shook his head, closing his eyes all scrunched and breathing slow and long. "Need to go inside."

"Oh," I said. "You need to lie down?"

He nodded.

"I'll get you a cab or something," I said. "It'll take you to Elysia's place."

Phil got up and headed to the street to flag one down.

Maes took another deep breath, rubbing up under his ribs with his knuckles. He opened his eyes. "You coming with me?"

I shook my head. "I have to go."

"Before ten?"

I nodded.

"Why?" He asked it more like he was asking me why I couldn't just wait until it was convenient for him to kidnap me like he'd planned.

"Because my daddy sort of smacked me in the face today." I scrunched up my fists into balls until my knuckles turned pale. I knew that's not what Maes had meant.

Maes straightened up a bit, his eyes opening a little more as they focused.

I swallowed. "If I'm there when he gets home tonight, he's going to say sorry. And I won't know what to say back that can make it like it never happened."

Maes lifted his arm enough to place his hand on my shoulder and at first I thought he was shaking from exhaustion or from feeling sick or something. But then I looked down at my hands in my lap and I realized I was the one trembling. I was trembling all over. I clenched my teeth until it stopped.

"Sorry," I said, shrugging him off. It wasn't like I didn't want him to comfort me. I just didn't want him lifting his arm up for me when he was feeling sick. "Never mind." I bit my bottom lip softly.

Maes winced a little, breathing hard and I paid attention to him again. But then he swallowed and he exhaled long and steady, calming himself down. He looked at the sky. It was mostly clear, but there were a few grey splotches where clouds were beginning to collect. Maybe it would rain.

"I have weak lungs," he said. "I was born too soon. When the weather changes, my chest aches."

"Like an old person?"

He nodded, faintly smiling.

"Should've just said." I couldn't tell if he was making it up. It didn't look like it. I caught Phil coming over in the distance. "I think your ride's here."

Maes looked out at the path through the memorial garden. It was more than a few easy steps to the street.

"Can you stand?" said Phil, joining us.

"Yeah," said Maes, rising. "It just won't feel good."

Phil helped him to his feet the rest of the way. Maes paused to catch his breath, massaging his chest.

He looked at me. "You know, rubbing it doesn't help at all? I just can't do much else."

"Want Philip to carry your bag?" I asked. "Not too sure I can lift the thing."

Philip grabbed the suitcase without Maes answering. It was pretty darn clear Maes wouldn't be lifting it. Maes nodded his thanks. I took his arm like I expected him to escort me somewhere.

"I'll keep you up," I said, urging him forward. I left my backpack to grab it later. "You don't look too heavy."

Maes smiled, but he didn't say anything. I caught some sweat sneaking along his brow and I figured his chest was probably getting more sore than he wanted to let on.

"I'm right here." I sounded like a freaking mom soothing a disgruntled child.

He held onto my arm. "Sorry," he said.

"No, it's okay." We passed the statue of the former Fuhrer. "This is actually pretty distracting."

Maes kept walking, kind of staggering at some parts, but I got the sense he was well practiced at walking through pain. I started trying to count up in my head how many times we got rain around Central every month. I started wondering if it rained that much in Resembool or whatever. I wondered if he got like this every time. I wondered if it got worse with thunder.

We came out on the street and the cab was there waiting for us. I felt Maes's muscles loosen a little like he was relieved. I took him over there pretty quick because chances were he was running out of steam and I didn't want him collapsing on my watch. Maybe on the cabdriver's watch, but not on mine.

"I gave him the address," said Philip as he put Maes's bag in the back.

Philip held the door for him. Maes sank into the leather seat like he had just entered paradise, the pain in his face loosening for a second.

"Better?" I asked.

He nodded. "Even better when the door closes."

I stole a glance at the driver waiting with his meter running. "Got money for the fare?"

Maes patted his trouser pocket. "Yeah."

"Well," I said, "feel better."

Maes looked up at me. He looked kind of like his chest was hurting again, but then I realized he was just looking at me like he was sorry for something. I started feeling kind of dumb for telling him what had happened with my dad earlier like I'd been looking for him to feel guilty about it. In a way, I guessed I was looking for him to feel guilty about it.

"It's okay, Maes." I took a step back from the black car door. "I'm a big girl."

Maes nodded, not taking his eyes off me. It was like he was in the middle of analyzing me or something. I stepped back again enough to swing the door shut. Maes blocked it with his foot, the rubbery bottom of his boot making a muffled thud against the momentum.

For a second I noticed Philip was tensing up in his big hulking shoulders. Then Maes was leaning out of the car and grabbing my hand. He yanked me in the car with him without having to use much force. Breaking my balance while I was wearing the strappy heels was not hard to do. I fell kind of on top of his lap, letting out a surprised half-squeal.

"This is a kidnapping," said Maes, scooting to the other seat so I could have room to straighten myself out. He looked at Philip. "Meet all my demands and no one gets hurt."

I sat up, blinking like I was coming out of sleep. "Maes, you're sick."

"Silence, hostage!" he said. "Alright, bodyguard. Go get the hostage's luggage from where she left it and meet us down the block at the Hughes's place for the exchange." Maes smirked, the total weariness in his face-muscles overcome by the spark in his eyes. "Oh, and come alone."

Philip nodded. His face was all squishy like he was about to melt into a smile but he was saving it for when we weren't looking. The guy was fighting to stay in character. I gave him credit for that.

Maes reached over me and pulled the door closed with a slam. "Go."

The driver didn't really seem to know what was going on and he really wasn't even paying attention. He stepped on the gas and the car zoomed forward, rocking me and Maes back in our seats. I wondered if the cabby would've been any help if I really was being kidnapped.

Maes leaned his head back, closing his eyes and panting. "Ouch."

I rolled my eyes. "You idiot. What use are you like this? It'd be better if I just went alone."

He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Don't talk, hostage." He smiled faintly.

We pulled up to the Hughes's apartment pretty quick. They really were in complete walking distance from where we'd been. The driver parked right outside.

Maes patted my arm. "Go ask for my stuff, would you?"

"What?"

"Go up and ask Gracia to give you my suitcase. Don't worry. This one's small."

I leaned at him all accusatory and junk. "You seriously plan on leaving with me? Like this?"

"I'm feeling a little better," he said. "I just don't want to go outside again if I can help it. So, go get my stuff. On the double, hostage."

I wasn't really angry because I thought he was being mean to me. Actually, he was being pretty amazing. But, the thing was, I didn't like how easy he found it to make himself feel like crap for my sake. And I got this horrible feeling that he was like this with everybody. Poor guy was lucky to be alive.

I got out of the car. With Elysia waiting up there on Maes to get back, I saw this all as a great big mess waiting to happen. Not necessarily because I was literally running off with her latest crush, but because she'd want me to explain every detail of it before I went back to the cab. And I was running out of time.

I ran up the stairs quickly, my pointy heels clacking on the wooden steps like a very untalented tap dancer. It was getting dark pretty fast now with the rainclouds blowing in, faster than I'd figured on.

I needed Philip to get to Dad and explain the situation before my dad got home and flipped out over me being missing. If I left my parents to their own devices, they'd send out an entire unit to find me, maybe even a couple tanks. It was half past nine.

I knocked on the Hughes's door real hard with the side of my fist. It sounded way urgent, which was what I was aiming for. It might speed them up. The door flung open about five seconds later. Elysia tilted her gaze down at me like she'd been expecting someone significantly taller.

"What happened, Nina?" she asked, her face getting genuinely concerned. I remembered my hair and got warm in the face.

"I need Maes's stuff," I said. "Pronto."

Elysia leaned back a little like she was trying to process it all. "What? Why?"

"He's leaving," I said. "He wants his stuff."

Elysia came into the hall with me, looking around. "Where is he? Did something happen?"

"He's not feeling good. He's not going to say goodbye."

Elysia folded up her arms. She was looking at me less concerned now and more just skeptical like she suspected I'd done something shameful. "He's only been legal drinking age for a week, Nina."

"I didn't get him drunk! He's just sick."

Elysia looked pouty. "You're holding back on me. What happened?"

"I just need his suitcase." I looked through the doorway. "Can I talk to your mom?"

"No, I can get it. She'd want to call your mom if she saw you like this. Hang on."

She clomped inside, looking left out like I'd just uninvited her to a birthday party. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her I was skipping town with him. She reappeared after about five minutes, which I figured was kind of a long time to be grabbing his stuff, but chances were he hadn't had it all packed to begin with so she'd had to do it herself. I kind of felt bad.

"Here," she said, handing the suitcase over. "He left his razor and his toothbrush in the bathroom, so I put them in the little bag with his comb."

"Thanks."

"Jeez, Nina. You're a mess." She eyed my legs uneasily.

I shuffled my feet. "They're old scars. You saw them when I was a little kid."

"Yeah, but not since then."

"I have to go," I said.

"You're not acting right."

"I have to go."

I wrapped my wiry arms around her and gave her a tight hug to remind her I really did trust her enough to hug her tight. There just wasn't time to explain.

She hugged me back. "Call me if you need me, girly-girl. I don't care if it wakes me up. I'll drive you anywhere. You don't have to give a reason. Just tell me you need me."

"Thanks, Elysia," I said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I know where to find you."

I didn't answer. Maes was waiting in the car and I didn't want to take the time to explain to her how much she wouldn't know where to find me if for some reason I did call her from wherever.

"Bye, Elysia."

I walked away with her hand waving goodbye to my back. I felt pretty much rotten knowing she was going to find out tomorrow and realize I'd held out on her on purpose.


	6. Chapter 6: Running Away

Author's Note: I'm tired. It's too late for an author's note.

Hawkstang: Hahaha! That's a beautiful idea! It'd be a real tear-jerker ;P

ilovebooks: Gah! Too many questions! Nice to have my readers anticipating the coming chapters :D

verry-chan: Aha! Good catch with Maes's condition being like Ed's. Keep reading!

PhantomhiveHost: Yeah, I love Elysia in the series. I tried to make her a little over-the-top like her dad in this:P

mixmax300: Mixed emotions are good! And I love Maes too. I've had his character in mind since before I wrote 'Babysitting the Boss Guy.'

* * *

Chapter 6: Does it still count as running away from your problems if you take the train?

We got to the station and Maes was sweating all down his neck. I told him to take off the red coat, but he said he was actually feeling kind of cold. He said staying out of the open air helped, but it wasn't like it was a cure-all.

The clouds had made the sky near black. It was nearly ten and my parents were probably close to home if they weren't already there. I'd sent Philip home after he'd dropped off my bag so he could keep my dad from panicking all the way. And, with that taken care of, Maes and I were pretty much on our own.

Maes said to grab one of those clunky luggage trollies for our bags since there were three of them and one of his was too heavy for either of us to lift ourselves right then. The walk from the drop-off to the station's entrance was pretty short, but it seemed to hurt Maes a lot. He didn't moan and groan and complain about it or anything, but he moved kind of slow and stiff like he was fighting for every step, like the poor guy just wanted to sit down.

"Ouch," he said quietly, giving me a smile as we got past the doors.

I looked out at the train tracks. It looked endless, all the train cars stopping and then some other train cars starting and zooming by. The place was noisy like nothing else with its whistling and chugging and all the people yelling 'hello,' and 'goodbye.' It was amazing how even at night the traveling never stopped. The world was always moving, never sleeping, not for a second. It had always been that way and it always would be.

"Let's get tickets!" I said, looking around for wherever the heck people were supposed to get tickets. I figured that was the next step.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Maes, leading me and the trolley.

I paused. I felt my face warming up under my eyes. I hadn't really thought that far. "I'm completely open for suggestions."

He smiled like he'd counted on me saying that. "Let's go south."

"South?"

He nodded. "The storm's coming from the north. Let's try to outrun it."

I stared at him, sucking my bottom lip. "Is that why you agreed to come with me even though you'd said it was a bad time? You wanted to get away from the stupid rain?"

"I wasn't going to kidnap you from home if I thought I was going to be sick the entire time."

I laughed. "That's awesome! I guess we'd better hurry up then."

"Yeah."

There was this giant circular desk thing with these windows where Central Station's staff was handing people tickets and junk as they came up through a bunch of lines. Maes stood in the line at the far left that wasn't very long at all. I followed.

"Why don't all those saps just get in this line?" I asked. "Is it a longer wait or something?"

"No," said Maes. "They're buying individual tickets. We're getting you a train pass."

"Train pass?" I said. "Like a hall pass?"

Maes chuckled. "Not really. It's just a ticket that doesn't expire." He reached in his trouser pocket and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open and showed me a golden-yellow square of card with a barcode and a bunch of numbers all over in blue typed ink. It had the word 'Pass' at the top corner with Amestris's insignia as a background.

"It's gorgeous!" I said, grabbing the card and his wallet with it. "I want one!"

"We'll get you one," he said, retrieving his wallet from me. He looked at my purse. "It costs a lot more than just one ticket, but it's worth getting if you plan on going a lot of places this month. It saves a lot of trouble."

"I have money," I said. "And I have my bankcard if I need more along the way. They have banks along the way, right?"

Maes laughed. "When was the last time you left home?"

"Uh…" I thought about it. "About eighteen years ago, give or take a week."

He stopped laughing. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"The week I was born?"

"Yep."

"I'm honoured." He put his hand on my shoulder like he was proud of me or something. "This will be fun."

"It better be," I said. "But then, I've never done this before. I wouldn't know the difference if it sucked."

Maes opened his lips like he was about to say something clever back to me, but then his mouth closed and he cringed and rubbed his stomach. He took a breath and patted my back. "We're up."

I looked in front of us. The way was clear. I hadn't even noticed. "So, my turn?"

Maes nodded.

I pushed the trolley over and parked it next to us at the desk. I looked at the clerk-guy. "I want one of those pass thingies. The yellow ones."

The guy kind of looked at me funny and I figured he probably noticed something familiar about me even though I'd gone average. My face was all over Central, even posted all cute on the damn patriotic station's walls. And it looked like the clerk-guy was used to working there.

"Yellow pass-thingy?" I said. "Chop-chop."

Maes leaned on the trolley, smiling to himself as I handled the clerk. I was probably doing some of it wrong. Just not wrong enough for Maes to correct me.

"How long, ma'am?" asked the clerk, peering at me from under the visor of his little clerk-cap.

"Say that again?"

"How long do you want the pass for?"

Maes nodded at him. "A month. Make it for all regions."

"Yes, sir." The clerk veered off to the side and shuffled through some paper and stamps and junk.

"I wanted to do it," I said, cocking my hip at Maes.

"Sorry," he said. "I'll let you do it next time."

"Yeah, yeah. Next time. You don't fool me for a second. This pass thing lasts a month. There's not going to be a next time."

Maes's shoulders shrugged up and down a little in a silent laugh. "You're so excited."

I felt my cheeks getting warm. "It's more fun that way, right?"

Maes smiled. "I'm glad I kidnapped you."

My cheeks got warmer.

The clerk stepped up with my beautiful yellow pass in his hand.

I leaned at the window. "How much?"

"Fifty-hundred cens."

I reached in my purse and felt around for my leather wallet. "That's a little more than a cab fare."

Maes shrugged because he'd completely told me so.

I whipped out my chequebook because I didn't carry that much cash on me if I could help it. Maes stared at me like I was insane and he was afraid to tell me.

"Got a pen?" I asked the clerk.

He passed me an ugly blue ballpoint with the back of it chained to a clipboard on his desk. I wrote out the cheque, I signed the thing, and I ripped it out of its book. I shoved it through the window. "There you go."

The clerk took the cheque, looked at it, looked at me, then looked back at the check, then looked at me and frowned. "There are other people in line, ma'am."

I glanced over my shoulder. Yeah, there were more people in line. The line was starting to build up a little. Maes was rubbing his stomach again. I felt rushed.

I dug around in my purse again for my ID. "Damn hair," I grumbled. "Damn make-up. Freaking mask. Ticket-guy thinks I'm playing a joke. I'll kill Janie next time I see her."

I pulled out my ID and showed it to the clerk, tucking my cropped hair behind my ears and brushing my new bangs out of my eyes. He got all drop-jawed at my picture and I could tell he recognized me now. The ID looked special, anyway, since I was technically a military brat and got to have one of the red bordered IDs exclusive to military families. So, it was safe to say that it wasn't a fake and my cheque wouldn't bounce.

"Miss Mustang!" the clerk choked, looking beet red all in his face. He took off his hat. "It's an honour."

I put my ID away. "Can I have my pass?" The people behind me were starting to shuffle around a little like they were trying to get a look at me to see what it was all about.

"Any trains headed to Rush Valley tonight, sir?" Maes asked, coming forward to talk to the clerk.

The clerk handed over my pass and looked down at a big book with a lot of places and times written over it. "Last one departs in seven minutes."

"Where?" Maes asked, his eyes getting a little wide like he was ready to head straight over.

The clerk pointed. "Track Three. Still boarding, I think."

"Thanks." Maes turned to me. "Rush Valley's pretty close. I've got some friends there. Sound good?"

"Is it south?"

Maes chuckled like I was cute. "Yes, it's south."

"Let's go before you pass out or something."

The clerk called after me to take care or something. I wasn't really listening. Damn travellers were all kind of giving me looks now like they were inspecting me for clues. I figured the clerk was going to start bragging who I was to people pretty soon.

I took Maes's arm as we headed to Track Three, pushing the trolley with my other hand. He leaned on me a little, but he was mostly trying to just hold himself up on his own. Track Three was just ahead, lucky for us. It felt kind of weird that we were actually going to make it. I'd kind of expected some horrible outside force to stop me at the last minute in one way or another.

"Hey," I said as we came to the pulsing train, "I'm going to ask somebody to help us with our stuff. That okay?"

Maes nodded.

"You want to save us a seat?" I asked.

He nodded again, breaking away from me. I guessed he was just aching to sit down. His breathing had gotten faster now like his regular amount of breaths wasn't enough anymore. I let him go.

I backed up with our trolley and looked around. The train was so close to leaving that not many people were boarding then. I half-stepped into the open car and waved at the first strong-looking guy who'd make eye contact with me. He stared at me for a second like he wasn't sure I was beckoning at him. I smiled big and nodded, waving a little more exaggerated. He got up and came over. He'd been sitting with a girl who didn't look happy to have him out of his seat.

"Hey, I need help with my luggage," I said, smiling some more.

He looked down at the loaded trolley. "Right, no problem."

"I can get the backpack and the little one, but the big brown case is damn heavy."

The guy nodded, looking kind of uncomfortable but not exactly not wanting to be there. I grabbed the two lighter bags and stepped back for him to get the big one. He bent over and lifted it in a prolonged jerk like he'd expected it to be lighter.

I laughed. "Told you."

"What's in here?" he asked. He asked it like he expected I'd packed bricks.

I got on the train with him. "He hasn't told me yet."

The guy looked confused, all wrinkly browed. I looked around the car and saw Maes sitting at the very back with his eyes closed and his head leaned against the window. He was looking sweaty again. I pointed at him.

"My friend's waiting back there for me." The guy looked around for him. I pointed again. "Ugly red coat. You can't miss him."

"Ah," he said. He hefted up the suitcase and led the way. I started after him.

Then I heard the mumbling, the hissing whispers that kind of sounded gossipy. I heard the kind of quiet that usually came on when I entered clothing stores and all the women and girls realized Nina was in.

Then I heard some of the worst stuff I could have heard right then. Stuff like, "Sir!" and, "That's the Fuhrer, isn't it?" I gripped my bags hard, looking down the rows of seats, seeing Maes waiting at the back for me, watching the strong guy bring the heavy suitcase to the back for me and knowing I should definitely follow. But I knew I wasn't going to do that. I let go of Maes's black suitcase and my backpack, letting them rest at the entrance of the train.

"Nina?" Dad's voice was breathless, hoarse, like he'd run the whole way over.

I took a breath. I knew it was a bad idea to turn around. This was exactly what I'd been trying to avoid. But I couldn't take it. I needed to be reminded how much his arms still wanted to hold me.

I turned around slowly, pivoting little bit by little bit on my scuffed screechy high heels. He hadn't been standing directly behind me. He was actually standing a few paces back. Mom was next to him, standing a little back herself like she was scared she'd spook me. Her eyes were kind of bloodshot like she'd been crying, like she'd been crying a lot longer than just since Philip broke the news. There was a sloppy but pretty much obvious crowd huddled a small distance from us out of respect. Brilliant. An audience.

I stepped off the train. I couldn't really help it. My legs kind of carried me off before I was all the way decided if that's what I even wanted. Dad was completely still, his eyes focused on me eerily unwavering. His face was paler than normal, kind of milky, like he had some kind of minor deficiency he hadn't done anything about. I could see his chest breathing under his uniform, the only sign of movement on him. I saw his throat move when he swallowed.

"Nina," he said, his voice kind of shaky, "I'm sorry."

"We're both sorry," said Mom. "I shouldn't have—"

"Stop it!" I said. It came out more desperate than I mean it to, like I was a scared little kid.

Dad kind of looked like I'd startled him. He looked pretty darn scared himself. "Sorry."

"No!" I said, coming forward. "Don't do that. I don't want you to say it. Just shut up."

Dad was looking really scared now. Mom's eyes were looking around because the good citizens of Amestris were all spectating and it was probably driving her nuts. I prayed to God she wouldn't pull a gun on anyone.

I took a glance back at the train. "I have to go."

"Please, don't." His face was helpless, pleading, like he wasn't even my dad anymore. Like he'd lost everything. "I didn't mean to…" He stopped like I'd made a look that told him not to go on. "Stay."

I took a couple steps forward. "It's not your fault," I said. I stepped toward him some more. I'd almost closed the gap and I could tell he was fighting really hard not to come the rest of the way to me. "It's just how things turned out. I'll be back."

He watched me carefully, his eyes wide and terrified like he was afraid to touch me. Like, maybe if he touched me I'd shatter. Mom looked like she was going to cry again. I wondered if hugging them like I'd planned was such a great idea. If they got a hold of me, they might not let go.

I hugged him anyway. I had to hug him first. He was the one who'd gone and tried to hit me. I had to feel his arms around me first, before I felt anything else.

I hugged my arms under his arms and buried my face in his chest, smelling Mr Havoc's smoke embedded in the fibres of Dad's uniform. His arms came around me immediately, like in his mind they'd already been around me that whole time. He hugged me as tight as I was hugging him, holding me close against him, pressing his hand on the back of my head so I'd nestle deeper into his stomach. I felt his warm breath on the top of my head as he hunched to kiss my fresh cut hair.

"I love you," I said quietly, the words muffled into his uniform. I was afraid to talk louder because my face felt shaky like it was ready to cry.

Dad took a sharp breath like maybe he was ready to cry too and he was still trying not to. "I love you, too, baby girl."

I scrunched my fingers around handfuls of his uniform on his back. His pet-names hit me harder than Mom's. I got away from him and looked up at his face to make sure I hadn't broken him down too much. I looked away. He wasn't crying, but he may as well have been. I hadn't seen him look so sorry in his life. So freaking upset with himself and already missing me like crazy.

"All aboard!" cried the conductor-man at the front. And then a bunch of other guys posted around the tracks yelled out the same thing and the train whistled a couple times.

I darted to Mom, throwing my arms around her neck and kissing her cheek. "Love you, Mommy."

She held onto me like she was well aware she'd gotten the short end of the stick when it came to hug-time. "Nina, please don't go. I'll take you tomorrow. Just not now."

"Maes is waiting," I said, looking back at the train. "He's not feeling good. I got to go." I peeled off her. "I got to go."

"All aboard!" The call came again and this time the train started hissing afterward.

"Bye, Mom." I stepped away before she could latch on again. I waved my fingers, turning toward the train. "Bye, Daddy. Love you guys."

The train moved a little and I jumped on before it picked up any pace. I caught my Dad watching me and I ducked behind the entrance. I didn't want to look at him anymore. I was afraid I'd jump off the train and stay with him.

"Goodbye, Nina," he called. His voice was louder and smoother, but it had no foundation, he was still lost. "Come home soon."

I wanted to answer. I wanted to poke my head out and tell him something cute, like, "Sure thing, Daddy!" or, "Have some burnt toast ready for me when I get back!" But I was stuck there, huddled at the door with our luggage at me feet. I couldn't move forward, back, or sideways. I started shaking and I realized my body was trying to cry. I bit down on my lip and took a hard breath, scolding my body for even trying to pull that kind of crap.

The shaking melted off me and all that was left was the vibrating train car around me, the pounding chug of the wheels as they pulled over the rails. My heart pounded with it to the point where I kind of wondered if I was hearing my own heartbeat and it wasn't just the train.

I swallowed down the panic. I picked up the bags. I headed to the back of the train so I could worry about Maes for a while and he could get me back to being myself.


	7. Chapter 7: Rush Valley (Part 1)

Author's Note: This chapter is shorter than the others because I spent the day taking my little sister out shopping for her 18th birthday instead of writing.

Shan-Shan XP: Yes! ...to a, b, and c. The foundation of Roy and Riza's fear is they know that, in leaving with Maes, Nina will eventually inevitably find out all the dirty details they've protected her from for so long. And they won't be there to chaperone her with that "troublesome" Maes. The thing that made their 'goodbye' so emotional, however, was her manner of leaving. She'd left immediately after being smacked (intent to smack), with no resolution. Good catch!

Hawkstang: I'm happy for Nina for getting the heck out of Central, haha! Poor girl was suffocating. And I'm happy for Maes for landing a hot babe his first time out alone, haha. It seems the Fates have smiled upon them. (And for the sake of this ongoing 'milk' theme, I find it incredible that cow excretions have been making people's days for SEVEN chapters now!)

otakgirlyy: Thanks! I'm really trying with the updating this time! As for Maes and Nina...we'll see ;)

verry-chan: Oh my gosh! When you metioned the "chop-chop" scene, I had to go back and read it again, I got so pumped. Keep the compliments coming, haha! And, yeah, I hated leaving the nest. I'd never seen my dad cry in all my life and then when he was hugging me goodbye he got all teared up. I was so proud of myself! Baby girls have a special effect on their Daddios.

PhantomhiveHost: So, you're saying...if my plot was a singer, it would be Imogen Heap? Get it? Cuz, she has a killer voice range? And her songs are way emotional? Right?! Right.

mixmax300: I'm friggin excited, too! And I'm the one writing this junk, haha. So cool to have you telling me to "Write on!" again. Read on!

* * *

Chapter 7: Welcome to Rush Valley (Part One)

I woke with a start with the endless white space from my nightmare fresh behind my eyes. I hadn't woken up naturally. I'd been cut off. The train had hiss or jerked or faltered on the tracks or something and the damn movement and noise had disturbed my nap. Nightmare or not, sleep was sleep, and I hadn't had the luxury of sleeping through a full night in a long time. Needless to say, I was a little ticked off.

I groaned, blinking to get more used to the light in the dim train car. I looked to my right and Maes was still there. He was leaned back staring out the window at the dark outside like he hadn't noticed me yet. I figured I was actually pretty happy with the fact that running away from home with him hadn't been a dream after all.

I shifted more upright in my seat, but my hands wouldn't come up with me. I tugged my arms. It was like they were restrained. I kind of squinted through the dimly lit car to see what was going on and I realized Maes had my hands on the seat between us almost up on is lap, with his hands wrapped around my fingertips and thumbs.

I peeped. "Maes?"

He sat up a little and looked at me. He didn't let go of my fingers. "Hi, Nina." He smiled. "Sleep well?"

"Can I have my hands back?"

He looked down at our joined hands. "Oh, sure. You were tossing so much in your sleep I was afraid you might accidentally set something on fire, so I held onto your fingers so you wouldn't—"

I tugged my hands away and clamped my palm over his moving mouth. His words muffled and his lips stopped moving and he shut up. He looked down at me, a little surprised, a little amused, kind of just curious.

I looked around to make sure no one had heard him. Pretty much the whole train seemed to be asleep, but there was no telling for sure. I was sucking my lip so hard I could have given myself a hicky.

"No," I said, tightening my hand on his face. "You can't know that."

His eyes kept with mine. Apparently he must have been feeling a lot better since we'd gotten out of the rain because he actually looked kind of perky. I held his face tighter.

"You can know anything but that," I said, keeping my voice low. "That's between me and my parents. No one else knows."

Maes flinched a little in his shoulders and I realized my fingers were digging too hard into his cheek and they were leaving strawberry marks. I let go and folded my hands in my lap. I didn't look at him.

"Well, my dad knew," said Maes, leaning down to talk to me. He massaged his jaw. "Wow, you've got strong hands. I bet you'd be great at making clay statues."

"Did I hurt you?" I held my hands tighter together.

"Yeah, you're grip is incredible." He smiled, looking fond and more or less impressed.

I looked up at the pink finger marks around his mouth and jaw and felt kind of stupid for doing it to him. I looked at my knees. "They said they never told anyone."

"I guess they didn't consider my dad part of the picture anymore by then." His voice had gotten less excited. It was gentler like he was trying not to be sad.

I looked at him. He wasn't smiling this time and I figured it was because he thought I wasn't looking. I looked down at my hands laying face-up in my lap, bending my scarred fingertips forward and back. "Sorry."

"Why?"

I laughed. "Why? Because I hurt you." I closed my hands together. "And I got angry at you for a second there. But it's not your fault. My parents fibbed to me. That's all."

"I forgive you." He bent to look me in the eye. He was grinning. "Out of the goodness of my heart, I will let it slide this once."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, but after this, I'm afraid you're on your own. You've used up my good graces for today, naughty girl. No more hurting me and getting angry at me for stuff that's apparently none of my fault."

"Yeah, yeah." I giggled quietly. "Sorry I brought it up." I sighed. The train seemed steadier. I wondered what the time was. I wondered how much longer it would be. "Maes?"

"Yeah?"

I looked out the dark window. "Thanks for holding my hands for me."

I heard him chuckling like he'd thought of something funny. "There are worse things for a guy than staying up all night holding hands with a girl."

My face burned. "Even if said girl was asleep the entire time?"

"I count my blessings, not my curses."

I laughed, leaning back. I realized I'd calmed down too quickly from him knowing about my hands and I probably wouldn't put too much thought into that. I didn't know too much about this Fullmetal guy, but Maes seemed pretty darn capable of handling my reality and so far I wasn't afraid.

I pushed my hair behind my ears, not quite so used to having it down outside my home. Plus, I'd slept on it and it'd settled out a little since I'd cut it. The bangs were more in my eyes than I'd remembered.

"We're here," said Maes.

Almost as if the conductor had heard Maes say it, a whistle went off and the train started to slow. I didn't get it. It was pitch dark out the window. Maes basically must have sensed it. There was no way he saw the station coming.

"How'd you know?" I asked, kind of curious now.

"The air smells like engine oil." Maes grinned, turning to me all excited. "Welcome to Rush Valley, the automail capital of the world!"


	8. Chapter 8: Rush Valley (Part 2)

Author's Note: Dang it! I just spent the night writing this instead of writing stuff I'll be graded on for tomorrow. The worst part is, I feel no remorse. Ha!

verry-chan: Yeah, Maes knew what he had to do and he wasn't going to complain about it, haha. And thanks. I'm proud of myself for updating like a good little girl XD

Takara Rose Oizumi: D'aw, thanks! I love writing it.

Hawkstang: I was sitting next to my baby sister when I read your comment and I just looked over at her and cracked up. I used to be the same way with her, had some murderous intent in store. Now we're BFFLs. Although, we still fight like arch enemies when we're together. I don't know. Some things just don't change, no matter how good things get ;)

Shan-Shan XP: Ha! Yeah, I liked that line when I wrote it. My sister said it reminded her of 'White Christmas,' if you've ever seen that. My sister found out I was writing a fanfic and now she's reading my junk and making wierd connections all over the place :P

otakgirlyy: Yep, Maes is a sweetie. Now that I think of it, he kind of reminds me of my younger brother. My brother's nice to EVERYONE. That's funny! He even has the gold(ish) hair.

PhantomhiveHost: Hahahaha! I know, I know. Gotta be patient. Getting there's half the fun :D

mixmax300: Aw, thanks for appreciating my short chapter. Fullmetal has taught me not to discriminate against the short things in life, haha. Alright, that was a stretch. Made myself laugh, though.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Welcome to Rush Valley (Part 2)

Not too many people got off the train at Rush Valley Station besides me and Maes. The others were a woman with what I assumed was a baby all bundled up in her arms, an old guy with a mole on his chin, and that couple from earlier—the strong guy who'd helped me with Maes's bag and his sour-looking girlfriend. Maes was plenty well enough to carry his own bags now. He even offered to carry the young mom's bag for her, too, but she said she had it.

"So, what are you guys here for?" asked the old guy, kind of leading the way. I couldn't see too well, but there was a heck of a lot of dirt and not a blade of grass. "Maintenance, repair? Or are you just here for the scenery?"

They all laughed at that, even sour-puss girlfriend. Maes laughed too. Just not somber single-mom.

"What, this place ugly or something?" I asked.

They laughed again.

"Ain't exactly beautiful," said the old guy. "But it's got character."

"We heard they've got all the latest tech here," said the strong guy. "Thought we'd get Angie a new foot. Old one's been making her ankle blister lately."

Angie looked kind of embarrassed.

"Well, that could have nothing to do with technology," said Maes, talking more to Angie than the boyfriend. "Was your automail custom fitted for you? Or did you go with a mass produced model? You look petite. Chances are your ankle's too small for standard automail. You may just need your dock tightened. Look into that before you try replacing your whole foot. It'll cost a lot less to fix."

Angie's face got a lot less puckered. "I will. Thanks."

The boyfriend looked pretty grateful, too. They were kind of young and I doubted they were made of money. The old guy looked impressed. The mom kept her eyes on the dirt.

The old guy sighed. "I'm here to get my knee tweaked. Got this thing installed before any of you kids were born. Been glitching almost as regularly as the rest of me, lately."

Maes laughed. "I might go with a newer model in your case."

The old guy turned to me. "What about you?"

I looked at him like he was nuts. I'd thought the train had been made painfully aware of who exactly I was. The couple looked a little stiff and embarrassed, but they watched me out of their peripherals like they were still a little curious over what I'd say to that. Maes looked at me like he was as interested in my reply as the rest of them.

"I guess I'm here for the scenery," I said. I smirked.

Maes was the first to laugh. Then the rest of them perked up and laughed too. Even the old guy who apparently still hadn't gotten the memo that I was the Fuhrer's kid. But, still not the quiet mom.

I coughed. "Just so I'm clear, we're talking about those robotic prosthetics, right?"

Maes laughed harder. "Sure, Nina. Relatively speaking."

"Ah, I see how it is," said the old guy, getting twinkly in his eyes. "Just following your boyfriend. That's quaint." He smiled with a couple of his teeth capped with gold. "Nina, is that right? Pretty name. Reminds me of King Mustang's daughter. She's almost as pretty as you."

I fought back a snort. Maes went ahead and laughed.

"Thanks," I said.

The couple looked thoroughly embarrassed. I kind of liked it. I matched pace with the old guy. I liked the idea of him still missing who I was even with me right in front of him. It felt kind of cruel, but in an affectionate way, which made it alright.

Maes hung back a little so he was more in range with the mom holding her baby. He looked a little less perky now, kind of low key. I supposed we were being kind of loud for being around a sleeping baby.

"You're here for him, huh?" said Maes, looking down at the bundle in her arms kind of melancholy. Suddenly the mom looked a little scared and upset. She kept her eyes down. Maes kept looking at the baby. "Is he sick?"

The woman hesitated, her mouth opening for a while before any words came out. "Some time ago, I heard of an automail engineer who could use alchemy to transmute automail to repair damaged organs."

Maes looked forward, his face suddenly completely straight. "That so?"

She nodded. "The doctors said that there was nothing they could do for him. I went to so many and they all said the same thing. He's too weak to risk transplant, and there aren't even donated hearts available that are small enough to fit his body. But if the alchemist made him a heart from scratch—"

"Automail hurts," said Maes. His golden eyes had turned dark like a storm. "Ask these guys. It's enough to make a grown man scream. And all they've got is a severed foot and a partial knee-joint repair. I'm sure they couldn't even imagine the pain of having automail put inside their bodies as vital organs." Maes looked at her, not at all angry, but deeply apologetic. "The pain would kill him."

The mom suddenly looked a lot more strong and fierce than she'd let on was possible for her. "How would you know? You're just a child!"

I looked down. Maes was gripping his suitcase's handles so hard his palms were turning purple from squeezing off his own circulation. I looked back up at his face, but there was no trace of emotion left on it now. He just stared ahead hard and blank. Everyone was silent, even the old guy.

"I'm sorry," said Maes. "I hope to God he makes it."

He wasn't too obvious about it, but Maes started walking ahead of everyone. I kind of just assumed I was supposed to follow after him. Even so, I did kind of keep my distance. He obviously knew a lot about all this automail crap, and his dad was a great alchemist, apparently. He probably knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd more or less just told the poor woman her last hope for her son was a dud. Maes seemed like the kind of guy who would really hate to have to tell someone that.

Pretty soon we'd left the rest of the passengers reasonably behind so they were probably out of earshot. I figured it was my duty as Maes's travel-buddy to keep up with him without saying anything about slowing down. He looked so deep in thought I was afraid to veer him off.

But my legs were pretty much not nearly as long as his and no matter how many walks around town I'd had, I was still kind of a city girl and I was losing my breath kind of quickly now. I dropped my backpack for a second to grab off my heels. I figured they probably weren't the most ideal hiking shoes, and we were approaching canyons, from what I could tell.

Maes must have caught me stalling, because, for the first time since we'd broken off from the group, he looked over his shoulder. I wondered for a second if he'd even thought I'd followed in the first place.

"Just taking my damn shoes off," I panted. "Carry on."

I caught the corners around his mouth quivering and suddenly he was smiling, oddly enough. Not exactly your average, "Happy birthday!" smile, but a sincere smile, nonetheless. It was more like he was smiling because he was happy to see me there or something.

He came over, grinning soft like he liked me pretty well and I felt safe talking to him again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I got pretty wrapped up in myself for a minute there, huh?"

"It's okay," I said, stuffing my shoes in my backpack and zipping the top over them. "You're upset. Go ahead and get wrapped up. I'll keep up with you fine."

He looked at me funny, kind of like he was impressed but he kind of looked skeptical, too. "That's nice. I've never had any of my friends offer to keep pace with me when I've gotten upset before."

For a second I wondered why my face was getting warm all the sudden and then I realized it was because Maes had just indirectly called me his friend. Something in me said calling a person 'friend' meant more to Maes than it did to other people. At least, in the way he'd done it just then—comparing me to other friends he'd probably known for years.

As far as Amestris was concerned, the Fuhrer's daughter was everybody's friend. I had no say in that matter.

Maes didn't walk ahead of me again, even though I'd given him permission to. Actually, he kind of walked really slow on purpose so I could set the pace for us. I felt a lot of pressure with that because I figured he didn't realize how slow a person could be when they were a foot shorter than him.

He seemed content with it, I guessed. I figured he was just busy trying to act like he was okay—for my sake. He was probably well aware I'd never seen this 'upset' side of him before. I kind of just wanted to let him know I hadn't ever thought that he didn't have an 'upset' side, seeing as he was human and most humans got upset from time to time. A sick baby was more than just a bit sad. I wouldn't have held a little 'getting wrapped up' against Maes right about then.

But I didn't tell him that. I just let Maes brood some more. I had this sinking feeling the poor guy took a lot of this automail stuff personally. I didn't want to say anything stupid or insulting. I didn't have the first clue about automail. I didn't really have the first clue about Maes either.

Everything was dark like pitch, but Maes seemed familiar enough with the terrain and he guided us over the canyons easy. Apparently we'd passed the main part of Rush Valley a while back, but Maes's friends lived further into the mountains. We finally came to this old wooden arch over the road that had a bunch of faded letters painted over it. Maes told me it said 'LeCoulte' in daylight, some kind of offset housing where his friends apparently lived.

We went through that arch and I began to see the figures of houses and buildings and such popping up all over the place. I couldn't see any of it too well from where we stood, but everything looked pretty much crude and rusty. Maes looked on at it like he thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He said a lot of the structures were brand new, like it was a developing property or something. Apparently the LeCoulte area used to be kind of small.

"Hey," I whispered, "Is this sort of thing normal for outside of Central? The train station being such a trek from civilization?"

"Nope. Rush Valley's just special, I guess." He grinned. "And my friends live on the outskirts."

I didn't want to say anything about my first impressions to him. I felt like I was still kind of naïve about stuff and it wasn't a good idea to question things just yet. But the place was nothing but dirt and sheet metal. It really did seem like a dump.

"Come on," Maes said, nodding his head forward. "Time to disturb Paninya."

He took me to big house, probably the biggest I'd seen so far. It wasn't fancy looking. It was as junky as the others, really. But the thing was huge compared to the other two-bedroom-looking places and little shops we'd seen scattered around. This place could have had five bedrooms on the first floor, besides the living room, bathroom, and kitchen, and it was two stories high.

"Is this an inn or something?" I asked. I had my doubts.

Maes shook his head, coming up to the door. "It's a haven." He put the small black suitcase down at his feet and banged on the door, really banged. I flinched. Whoever was in there was definitely awake now. Maybe the houses next to us as well. Maes smiled at me. "It's just quicker this way with her, you know?"

The lights went on in one of the rooms upstairs. Then a bunch more of the lights went on all over the house. The front door cracked open with a heavy creak. I shuddered at the grating sound. Maes stood his ground like a pro, like he'd banged on plenty of doors in the middle of the night in his time. A pair of small hands shot out and grabbed Maes's leg. Then another pair grabbed him. Then another. I stepped back like a coward. Legions of hands creeping out of dark spaces were one of my ultimate pet-peeves.

"Maes!" yelled out a little voice. And once one came out, a whole chorus of, "Maes!" rang through the door. The door opened all the way and a gaggle of tiny children, plus a few older ones, poured onto the stoop and huddled around Maes, pawing at him and saying his name over and over.

And then I noticed those hands of theirs. A few of them had hands that were silvery, clearly automail. A few of them had automail hands that extended to automail arms, even to automail shoulders. Some had automail legs poking from under their nightgowns. One little boy seemed to have an automail jaw on one side of his face. His words came out slightly distorted when he said Maes's name with the rest of the children.

Maes laughed, ruffling their hair all around and patting their little backs like he didn't have enough hands for all of them. "Hey, guys! Where's Paninya? She still asleep?"

A taller figure came into the door. "How could anyone still be asleep with you making such a racket out here?" A pair of big dark eyes peered out the door. Her smooth brown face came into view next as she stepped forward, a woman looking in her thirties pretty gracefully, like she worked out or something. She waded through the at least fifteen-count of children. She was still in her pajamas the same as them and I could see the shine bouncing off her automail legs as they peeked through her shorts. She smiled. "It's about time you visited us, Maes. Come on in."

Maes herded the kids back inside with him and I guessed he expected me to come too. The woman with the automail legs held the door open for me. I was the last one in. The house smelled like a service station. The oily vapor in the air was enough to make a girl cough.

"You get used to it," said the woman, closing the door behind me. "I try my best to teach the kids to be efficient with the engine oil, but they've gotten a little obsessive with their maintenance lately." She stopped me in the entryway before I could go down the hall to wherever the kids had whisked Maes off to. "Name's Paninya. So, you a friend of the Elrics?"

"I…" My hand tightened around my backpack and purse straps. "Well, I'm Maes's hostage."

Paninya blinked. "Hostage?" Paninya turned her head as simultaneous roars of laughter erupted from a room down the hall. I could hear the smooth deepness of Maes's voice laughing with them. Paninya smiled fondly as the laughter died. "Well, I guess I won't be getting any of them back to bed for a while."

"So," I said, "Maes knows a lot about automail, huh?"

"Well, yeah, of course he does," said Paninya.

She led me to a big kitchen around the corner with three freaking ovens on the wall and a sink the size of a small bathtub. She took a seat on the countertop and gestured for me to do the same. I dropped my backpack and purse on the tile floor and pushed myself up. I may have been a lady, but I was pretty well adjusted to sitting on countertops from eating alone at home so many nights.

"I'm Nina," I said. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Hey! Don't call me ma'am. I'm not that old." She smiled. She looked sweet with those big eyes of hers. "Nice to meet you too, Nina. A friend of the Elrics is a friend of mine."

"Those kids sure seem to like Maes."

"Well, sure. Everybody likes Maes." She had a point.

"How does he know all of them?" I asked. "Does he come here a lot?"

"Yeah, every couple weeks," said Paninya. "He's their automail engineer."

"Like, he makes their stuff for them?" I asked. I could kind of feel my eyes bugging a little, thinking of all those little metal hands and metal legs and that metal jaw, Maes making all that stuff.

"Yep. Started from scratch with every one of those kids. His mom's been calling him a pediatric automailer lately." Paninya giggled like the words were funny. "Winry's pretty great, but Maes is something else. He works so fast that he can take on a ton of patients at once, and often times he won't even charge anything."

"Really?" I asked, kind of getting fascinated. "He's good?"

Paninya looked at me like I was a total stranger all over again. "Sure. He's Maes. You do know the Elrics, don't you?"

"Not very well," I said, shrinking. My face burned. "I kind of only just met Maes last Sunday."

Paninya was quiet for a while. "His…hostage?"

"It's a joke," I said. "When I met him, it kind of came out I'd never left home before. He said he'd kidnap me sometime and we'd go places. So, now he's taking me places. That's all."

"Ha!" Paninya cackled. "Sounds like Maes, alright. He makes everything so simple."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're kind of right."

Paninya leaned back so her head was resting against a white cabinet. She looked across the big honking kitchen and smiled real tender. "I've had my automail legs since I was a little girl, and they've been worked on by what I'd say are some of the most skilled automailers in the world." She brought one of her legs up and hugged it to her chest so she could rest her chin on her knee. "But I don't think I would have ever thought to include the word, 'gentle,' into my vocabulary about automail until Maes came along. He's only worked on me a few times; I keep my equipment in pretty good shape on the whole. But, I swear, the first time he reconnected my nerves for me when he and Winry were docking me a few years back, I barely even felt it."

"That's a big deal?" I asked.

Paninya laughed and I could tell she was thoroughly laughing at me. "It's a really big deal." She got excited. "They're nerves. It shouldn't be possible. Winry says it's placebo. But ask anyone Maes has worked on. He's like magic."

I felt myself flushing again. I wondered if the whole world was this literate on automail junk or if Rush Valley was just special like Maes had been saying. I yawned into my palm.

"You're pretty tired, huh?" Paninya said. "You should be. It's three in the morning. We should all be in bed."

The way she mentioned being in bed made me think back to how Maes had been holding my fingers for me on the train while I slept. I blushed and made a mental note to be sure to put the band-aids on my fingertips next time I dozed off.

"Well," said Paninya, hopping off the counter, "I can't say it's anything fancy, but we do have one room empty upstairs if you want some privacy to sleep. It has its own bathroom, too, so that's good. Maes will probably be busy saying his hellos to the kids for a while, so you may as well get some rest."

I nodded. "Thanks. I'll be better off just conking out and staying out of the way for now."

She showed me the stairs and I hurried on up, figuring if I stood around doing nothing too long I'd lose my adrenaline high and just fizzle out. I came up off the stairs and went down the hall with my feet still bare and beat up from walking with my high-heels off.

Paninya had said my room was the door with the handle instead of a knob. She said it was the one door upstairs that could actually be locked. I was happy I got that room.

I found the door and my knees kind of went weak at the thought of a bed. My hand went on the cool handle and all the sudden I got this flash in my mind about my room in Central with the pink quilt on top and the scorched up pillowcase. I sucked my lip. I didn't taste lipstick when I sucked it now. For the first time, that kind of bothered me for a second.

I shook my head like I was scolding myself for thinking. I hefted my backpack more steady on my shoulder and turned the handle. The latch gave with a 'click,' and I walked right on in.

I stopped. My heart pounded. I stood against the door as it swung closed behind me on its own. My backpack dropped off my arm. My knees wobbled a little again. My jaw hung slack and my face burned to my ears and up under my eyes.

"Holy," I squeaked, "shit!"

Maes stood there, next to the made up bed. His hair was fresh wet and it was dripping at the ends still like he'd just gotten out of the shower. The bathroom door was open and kind of steaming a little still, so a shower seemed like a probable theory. Maes was wearing plaid flannel pajama pants at his hips, and that was about it. His face was probably as red as mine was.

I'd seen guys without their shirts before. I wasn't fazed by that kind of thing. Although, Elysia was right about Maes being a freaking masterpiece. He wore his muscles lean and smooth, cut cleaner than granite.

But, as lovely to stare at as it was, his body wasn't what I was freaking out about. It was what was on his body, or, kind of in his body. Whatever you wanted to call it, it looked freaking scary. It was clearly metal and machine-like, same as automail, but it was locked onto his chest, right in the middle under his pects where his ribcage started.

It looked kind of like a spider, an eight legged claw, palm of gears planted on his chest with steel fingers dug deep through his flesh and fastened with bolts. It clenched and unclenched like a hand turning in and out of a fist. His chest rose and fell with it like the claw was yanking on his ribs. The claw would clench and he would push out an exhale, then it would open and he would hold his shoulders back and inhale. He was breathing like clockwork.

"God!" I said, feeling like maybe I shouldn't be acting so horrified. "Are you alright?"

Maes stepped back against the wall. He held his hand over the contraption fixed in his chest almost like he was protecting it or something. His eyes were wide like a scared animal's, and his face was tight and stunned. His color was drained, even from his lips. The only color left on him now was the web of purple and blue under his skin around the claw where his blood vessels stood out more. The vessels got lighter with every clench of the claw like the clenching was squeezing the blood out of them. The vessels would get darker every time the claw would release and he'd inhale like a dam was breaking and the vessels were filling back up.

"Nina," he said, his voice kind of unsteady, "get out."

"So, that's it," I said, shaking my head slightly like I didn't like it. "You've been to that alchemist. The one who makes automail organs."


	9. Chapter 9: Trading Secrets, Kind Of

Author's Note: This chapter's shorter, but it's dense. Enjoy!

PS- I'm replying small to the reviews tonight. I'm falling asleep. Oops.

SavFFLover: Aw, thanks. Glad for the nice feedback. :)

PhantomhiveHost: Haha, everyone's getting mixed emotions. I feel powerful.

mixmax300: I love that I was able to shock you :O

Hawkstang: Yeah, moms never seem to notice what the cutie-sister's really like when mom isn't around. I was just blatantly naughty :D

otakgirlyy: Yep, my brother's really nice. But he's kind of in high school now, so he eats a lot and acts kind of mischievous. He's still nice, though.

lllovebooks: I used to not like Paninya when I watched the series the first time. I've seen the series a few times more, now, and she's really grown on me :)

* * *

Chapter 9: Trading Secrets, Kind Of

So, I blurted that I figured Maes had been to see the alchemist who made automail organs and things changed tune from there. All the sudden Maes wasn't shooing me out of the room. He was telling me I had to stay, just for a minute. I really had to.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to a desk chair at the table in the corner. He went into the bathroom and I could hear glass bottles and jars rattling against each other like he might've been rummaging.

I grabbed the desk chair and swung it around so it was facing the bed rather than the wall. I sat. I ran my hands through my hair. It felt kind of rough like a lot of dust had probably blown into it outside. I fluffed it out. Now I was craving a shower for me.

Maes came out of the bathroom with a black jar and a handful of cotton balls. The jar's lid was open and the thing was giving off that oily smell. I choked on a breath. I imagined coughing on the smell wasn't a good idea right then. Maes sat on the edge of the bed right across from me. He put the jar down next to him and dipped a cotton ball in the thick brown goop. Silently, he started going over the metal joints in the automail claw on his chest with the greasy looking stuff.

He rolled a shoulder back like he was sore, sighing through his nose. "It's technically called 'storm-sickness,' what was happening to me earlier before we got on the train. Dramatic changes in barometric pressure can affect a person's body where they've sustained trauma. A lot of amputees get achy stumps when it rains. My dad even vomits sometimes. The worse the trauma, the worse the storm-sickness." He winced, holding off on the cotton balls for a moment.

"You okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "My automail always gets stiff after a storm. Mom says it's because I get tense during storm-sickness and stay doubled over for too long. I have to grease my automail's gears after storm-sickness every time or they start stalling and I have trouble breathing. I wasn't lying. I do have weak lungs." He dropped the cotton balls on the floor like the carpet was his trash can. He screwed the lid on the jar and set it on the floor, too.

"How bad is your storm sickness?" I asked. "I mean, on average." I felt kind of intrusive for asking him about it, but I also kind of felt like Maes would be willing to answer me.

Maes pushed himself up onto his feet. "I was born five weeks early. Not exactly in the danger range, but early enough to keep my immune system down from day one. It also left my lungs a little underdeveloped, so I got chest colds very easily as a child." He walked around to the other side of the bed and bent down. I could hear his suitcase clicking open.

"Like pneumonia?" I asked. "That kind of stuff?"

"Yeah," he said. "All that fun stuff." He stood, holding a black t-shirt in his hand. He put his arms through the sleeves and pulled the shirt over his wet head. "When I was twelve I must have gotten one cold too many, because the doctors started saying I'd scarred up my bronchial tubes and made weak spots in the bottom of my lungs. The elasticity in the tissue had been damaged and it got harder for me to breathe out at all. I ended up in the hospital for almost three months, trying out a different tube or machine practically every week to keep me breathing." He looked a little down.

"Was it boring?" I asked.

He came over to sit on the bed again. "What?"

"Lying around in a hospital for three months," I said. "It sounds pretty boring for a twelve-year-old kid."

A slow smile crept onto Maes's mouth. "Yeah," he said. "I didn't get too many visitors because everyone thought I was happier just being left alone to sleep. I got bored a lot, I guess. That's funny. I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before."

I yawned by accident. He kind of ignored it.

"Anyway," said Maes, his smile fading a little, "I stayed on the machines for as long as I could, but it finally got so bad that the doctors ran out of machines to put me on. My aunt and uncle tried medicinal alchemy on me, but there wasn't much they could do at that point. My little sister even offered to donate some of her life force to try to heal me, but alchehestry is more intended for fresh wounds than illness. She couldn't have helped me even if I'd let her."

I followed what he was saying as best as I could. I didn't know too much about any kind of medicinal alchemy. Or alchemy in general. I inferred what I could. "So, that's when the automail alchemist paid you a visit?"

Maes smiled like he knew something I didn't know. "You could say that."

I rolled my eyes. "Just tell me, already."

"It was just an idea I had when I was little," he said. "Back when I was still in elementary school. My mom was an amazing automailer and my dad was a former State Alchemist. Both sciences were alike in a lot of ways, if you thought about it right. Both dealt with metals. Both could be used to manipulate the human body. I wondered why no one had ever tried combining the two."

I stared at him. I thought back to that road from the train station. I remembered that woman with the sick baby. I remembered the look on Maes's face when he'd told her giving her son automail organs would kill him.

I remembered Maes telling the mother that the pain would be unbearable. I remembered him clenching his teeth and groaning back at Central Station when the rain rolled in.

"Was it you?" I asked.

Maes was quiet.

I tried to get him to meet my eyes because I felt awkward asking him stuff when he looked like he was done talking. "Did you invent those automail organs?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. I drew up the concept and the design, but Mom had to put it together for me. I wasn't strong enough to build it myself. I designed it more or less to help my lungs expand and contract since the elasticity in them had declined." He had his hands on his lap and he was looking at them now. "I figured out the transmutation circles we'd need to help my body accommodate the automail. I knew it would be hard with all of that metal digging into my flesh and brushing against the vulnerable inside areas. Dad looked it over with my uncle and they decided it would work. So, they took me home and my mom installed the design into my chest. My aunt and uncle helped her connect everything where it needed to go. I was breathing without the machines after three weeks."

I looked at him and I felt my face frown. I figured I was unhappy because I felt like he was playing dumb. "You dunce. You said you figured it out and made all the designs yourself, right? So, you're the inventor."

Maes smiled, finally meeting my eyes. He looked kind of tired. "But it's not like the rumors say. I didn't make myself new lungs. I just found a way to support one of their functions that had been damaged. Even then, it still causes a lot more pain than regular prosthetics, and maintenance is virtually unachievable. With something this touchy, I may end up having to make adjustments, disconnecting and reconnecting the nerves, as much as three times a day when things get bad. If I weren't an automail-engineer myself, I wouldn't be able to keep my automail. My life would be in less danger if I just depended on my damaged lungs alone."

"Well, that sucks." I folded my arms.

"No joke," said Maes, leaning back. He sighed, his eyes looking at the ceiling and getting sad. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole truth back in Central. I know me having health problems probably seems like a game changer, but you need to understand; this isn't something I tell many people. In fact, I don't tell anybody. People hear rumors about automail being used for more than just prosthetics and they start romanticizing, thinking it's a fix-all. If they found out what I've got docked to my chest, they'd demand to have it for themselves, too. They wouldn't listen if I said it was impossible. When a person's that desperate to live, it's easy to be stubborn like that."

"How many people have you told?" I asked. "Besides me."

"I can count them on one hand," he said. "Dad, Mom, my aunt and uncle, and my sister, Sophie."

"Aw, dang," I said. "I ruined it. Now it's two hands."

Maes chuckled. "I'll try to forgive you."

I looked at him. Now that I knew about it, I could kind of see the automail's ridges poking under his black shirt in some places, moving with his breaths. I thought about how he'd said he'd been twelve. I guessed I was pretty darn amazed at him figuring out all that automail and alchemy stuff at such a young age. Mostly I just felt kind of sick thinking about how he was only twelve when he had the operation and how much it must have hurt to have all that automail fastened into him. Actually, I felt pretty horrible. Poor kid.

"Can I trust you not to tell?" Maes asked, coming to his feet.

I stood up, too. "Yeah. I'm no snitch."

Maes grinned. "No, I didn't think you were."

I yawned. I didn't even fight it this time. "You seem okay. You're not upset I saw?"

"Why would I be?" he asked. He looked like he was seriously asking me.

"Because you were hiding it from me."

"Yeah, but I think you probably would have seen it someday anyway." I didn't really read too much into that. He shrugged. "And I know your secret about your hands. It makes sense that you should know something special about me."

I nodded because he put things so simply a person couldn't help but agree with him. I yawned. "Speaking of secret hands, I need to get some sleep. Kind of now."

"You that tired, Nina?" He seemed a little concerned, actually.

"Nope, not too much," I said. "But the longer I stay up, the harsher my dreams get. And I don't want to light the house on fire."


	10. Chapter 10: The SUITCASE, baby!

Author's Note: Pick-up line of the day- "Woman, I want to plant my seed in your garden. It would produce some bountiful fruit." My sister was involved in writing my author's notes today, so she's responsible. Although...Maes could seriously get away with saying that.

mixmax300: Aw! My youngest brother used to sneak up on me so much that my mom had to make a rule against it, haha.

illlovebooks: Gah! Taping hot hands to metal would hurt so bad! Like frying pans... You've been talking about my fic at home? That's so cool! I hope your brother likes it :D

verry-chan: Ha, perceptive. Yep, my sister and I thought a lot of Tony Stark when we were reading over that chapter together before I posted it. Unintentional likeness, but true.

Hawkstang: In reference to getting stuck behind a toilet..."Only all the time! I got my obese Uncle Paco stuck behind there. Took us three days to get him out. He had to lose all the water weight first." My sister begged me to quote her on that. I am so sorry.

PhantomhiveHost: Yep, Maes and Nina are definitely compatible with their histories. It makes sense with all that their parents went through together.

otakgirlyy: Yeah, I get nightmares after I pull all-nighters and stuff, so I figured it made sense for Nina to have it worse off when she was sleep deprived. But she's got her trusty band-aids, I guess.

Saphirrewolf: Aw! I'm honored you took the time to write a longer reply. You know, the best writers are the ones who read a lot. Stick with it :)

* * *

Chapter 10: The SUITCASE, Baby!

White. Everything was white. Why was it always white? White was the color of clouds and wedding cake. White wasn't supposed to be scary. But it was.

I was naked again. I hated coming to the white place naked. Everywhere was empty here and I knew that when I came naked there would be nothing to hide behind. I shrank into a ball, hugging my knees to protect what I could of my exposed skin, shielding it from the whiteness.

I could feel my chest, my stomach, pressing against my thighs with every fast breath. I hugged tighter, forcing my lungs down. I knew the dangers of letting myself panic. I closed my eyes, hoping to find shade behind my eyelids, but all I could see was white.

"It's okay," I said, my voice piercing the stillness. "I'll wake up. This is a dream. I'll wake up." I gulped. The white was getting warm and that was a bad sign. "This is a dream," I continued. "I'll wake up. This is a dream." But there was no way to know that, was there? Not here.

I held my legs tighter, digging my eyes into my knees, hoping to blind them. Anything to get away from the white. But it wouldn't stop. The more I bored down on the sockets, the whiter everything became.

And then I saw black, hints of black coming up out of the white ground. I uncurled my body and knelt on my hands and knees, touching the black smudges. They bled into long black forms, branching. The whiteness around me got hotter. I came up on my knees and staggered back, but the forms had already extended into arms and stretched into hands.

"This is a dream," I whimpered. "I'll wake up."

The hands crept up my body and pinched my naked skin. I jerked away, but they followed and struck harder. The white air was steaming, now. I let out a sob and I felt the empty white scald me.

"I'll wake up! I'll wake up!"

I stood and tried to run, but I couldn't even take a step. The hands wrapped around my legs and pulled me down. My body slammed on the ground, winding me so I couldn't struggle as the black hands pinned me down and ate my flesh. I screamed. The hot air blistered my arms.

"I'll wake up!" I cried, my voice screeching.

Then it came, the slithering voice that talked into my head. "Foolish girl. One cannot wake up from the Truth."

I breathed so fast my head ached. "This is a dream," I said. My body was trembling. I knew what came next. "This is a dream."

"Then why aren't you waking up?" the voice hissed.

"This is a dream!" I cried.

The hands tore into me and I screamed. I coughed. The air was getting too hot to breathe. I felt my palms begin to rise temperature beyond the rest of my body. I clenched my fists. My fingertips burned against my palms. Flickers of fire shot through the cracks between my fingers.

"No," I said, by voice getting shaky from the pain, "stop." The fire crept past my wrists. I writhed under the black hands. "Stop!"

"Wake up, then, Flame Alchemist," said the voice. "See if it all goes away."

The fire came up over me in a sudden blaze, swallowing me and devouring my hair. The hands held my down from thrashing. I could feel myself screaming, but all I could hear was the roaring of the fire and crackle of my flesh being eaten by it.

The voice laughed. "Make the Truth go away."

My eyes opened into darkness. I pulled the wadded up hanky out of my mouth and gasped, breathing like I was about to throw up. I was dripping with sweat, just about soaked through my pajamas. I bit back down on the hanky to keep my screams muffled again, hunching and quaking. My skin was still on fire in my mind.

I staggered into the bathroom without even flipping on the light. I grabbed the shower knob and yanked it to full blast. I tumbled under the hard spray and let the icy water pour over me like a fire-hose. I was shivering pretty soon from the cold, but I stayed under. My skin was still on fire.

I ripped the band-aids off my fingertips and soaked both my hands right under the shower head until they were pruned up. I tilted my head up and swallowed down the cold water. It tasted stale. I figured the water wasn't safe to drink straight from the tap here in Rush Valley. I kept doing it anyway. I kept doing it until my throat stopped burning.

I had no idea how long it was, but after a steady while, I stopped acting like I was still stuck in that stupid dream and I got out of the shower for a second to pull my shampoo out of my backpack. Since I was in there anyway, I figured I may as well get cleaned up for the coming day. I didn't plan on trying to conk out again. That just seemed like an unpleasant idea.

I was kind of scared to turn the shower warmer after that nightmare, even though I'd thoroughly cooled down by now and I could completely feel my shivers. I was shaking violently by the time I got out. I decided I liked being really cold in real life better than being on fire in my head.

The dumb dream shook me up, but it wasn't like I hadn't had nightmares before. The only reason I even owned a handkerchief was so I could wad it up and stuff it in my mouth at night to keep my parents from hearing me scream from their bedroom. I was used to this stuff.

I cheered myself up pretty quick when I realized I'd actually slept a full two hours, all the way to six in the morning, and the sun was even peeking through. Also, I kind of discovered that without all those rules about looking perfect outside of home, the only things I really had to do to get ready after my shower were brush my teeth and yank my panties and dress on. I didn't even have to do my hair anymore. I could just let it dry where it lay.

I didn't hear pretty much any noise in the house, so I guessed everyone was probably still tired from last night and they were sleeping in. I didn't figure on leaving Paninya's house until I had Maes to chaperone me, so I left my scuffed shoes on the ground and went out of my room barefoot. My feet creaked on the floorboards. I liked the sound. It sounded kind of peaceful and lonely.

I headed down to the kitchen. That was usually my go-to place after a rough awakening. I kind of liked to reward myself with yummy food when I'd gone through something unpleasant. I padded down the silent halls and slinked into the giant kitchen. Paninya's kitchen was bigger and cooler than mine and my dad was the Fuhrer. I hunted around for something delicious with a lot of carbs.

I found a bottle of milk on the fridge door while I was looking, so I started myself off with a glass of that. I thought about what Maes had said about yogurt being healthier than milk back when I'd first met him. Suddenly I was really in the mood for a muffin, which sucked because my bakery was in Central, hours away even by train.

"Damn," I said, putting my glass in the sink. "Now I'm actually hungry for real."

I went over to a closet that looked like it'd be a pantry to see what I could find. I didn't get a chance to open it, though, because right about then I heard some footsteps coming up the hall. I suddenly felt kind of awkward going through Paninya's kitchen and drinking her milk without asking. I stepped back from the pantry.

The footsteps got closer and I could hear someone shushing like there were two people coming. Then Maes poked through the kitchen door with a little curly-haired girl on his hip. They were both still in their pajamas. Maes seemed pretty awake, but the girl looked like she'd been crying. Her little turned-up nose was red and her eyes were droopy. She sniffled. Maes shushed her soothingly. He was carrying his heavy brown suitcase in his other hand.

"Hi, Nina," he said quietly. "You hungry?"

"Yeah," I said. "Couldn't sleep."

"Neither could we," he said, coming in. He looked over at the little girl. "Right, Sarah?"

She sniffed again and put her head on his shoulder. She was the tiniest kid I'd seen here so far. She couldn't have been much past two. I could see her automail right where her ruffled nightgown's sleeve cut off after her shoulder. It was kind of weird looking. Her real arm stopped halfway to her elbow and had about two inches of automail connecting it to the rest of her real arm. It looked kind of like she was wearing an automail bangle around her bicep.

Maes sat her down on top of the breakfast table with her legs hung over. He sat down in the chair in front of her and sat the suitcase on the table with her. Sarah held her arm where the automail was fastened and sniffled again. I kind of wanted to cuddle her. She looked so sad and holdable.

"Sarah fell off the slide when she was a toddler," said Maes, glancing over at me. "Her bone broke through her arm and it got infected. They were going to amputate. My mom helped me build a piece of automail to act as a bridge for Sarah's severed arm so Sarah could keep the whole arm instead of replacing half with automail. We had to use a special design to preserve her circulation, using alchehestry to connect major arteries to the automail, and it's not like we can ever disconnect anything when we perform maintenance; but now that it's done, it works just as well as a normal arm."

"That's cool," I said. "I didn't know you could do that."

"It's a new concept," said Maes, twisting the combination into the padlock on his suitcase. "It has to be installed immediately after the limb is amputated and the limb has to be in perfect condition. Sarah qualified, though. Normally I don't like to put automail on kids until they're old enough to decide if they want it themselves, but Sarah's case was an emergency. I made an exception." He patted Sarah's curly head. "It's only been ten months. She's still getting used to it."

Ten months actually sounded like a long time to me. I kept my mouth shut.

The padlock on Maes's suitcase clicked. He took it off and put it in his pajama pocket. I stepped a little closer.

"Nina," he said, "it's about time I showed you what's in my suitcase."

I took that as permission to come on over. I stood behind him, holding onto the wooden back of his chair and leaning over his shoulder for a better view. Sarah stared at me with her face blank, sniffing. Maes unlatched the suitcase and opened the top up. I looked inside, prepared for something completely amazing.

It wasn't all that impressive, actually. Just an old suitcase lined with black felt or something. There were a bunch of tools in there like wrenches and screwdrivers and junk, probably what had been making it so heavy. There were also some bulky-looking hunks of scrap metal kind of wrapped in packing paper to keep them separate. Those looked heavy, too. There were some old rags and some jars of that oily crap Maes had but on his automail claw earlier to keep it lubricated.

I looked at Maes. "A toolbox?"

He nodded proudly. "A toolbox."

"Nice."

Maes dug through the clinky tools and junk until his hand grabbed something that looked like tan leather and pulled it out. Actually, it was two somethings, a pair of biker gloves rolled into each other. He unfolded them and shook them out. I could see transmutation circles stitched in all over—at the backs of his hands, over his palms. There were even small circles printed into the leather over each of his knuckles.

"Alright, Sarah," he said, pulling the gloves on one at a time. "Maes is going to hold your arm for a second."

She looked at him with watery eyes and let go of her arm, surrendering it to him. Maes leaned forward and took her little wrist. He ran his gloved hand up her elbow to just under her bridge of automail. Sarah flinched.

"Hurts," she said. Her voice was small and sobby.

"I know," said Maes. "I know. Just try to hold still, Sarah. It'll be over in a moment."

She sniffled, but she sat still. Maes felt along her arm, ending with his hands on her automail, one lying over automail to upper arm, the other lying over automail to lower arm. He looked forward like he was feeling more than looking now. He exhaled, his eyes getting distant and focused.

I heard a small electric sizzle. I looked back at Sarah's arm. I could see the red light coming up under Maes's hands from the transmutation circles on his palms. Thin red currents buzzed around his hands and fingers. I didn't see any sign of her automail changing, but the currents were going all over Sarah's arm and automail like they were scanning her. She watched like she'd seen it before and it was exciting anymore.

Maes's eyes kept forward, but I could tell he wasn't looking at anything. His eyes got deeper and his face muscles got looser. His gaze started moving side to side like he was reading something, and then it got faster like he was reading something impossibly quickly. It kind of made me a little uneasy.

Then his face stopped being numb and his eyes stopped moving side to side. The glow in his palms died and the red currents tapered off his fingers. He blinked slowly and smiled, soft and content. He relaxed and looked at Sarah, giving her back her arm.

"Have you been using your special arm a lot, Sarah?" he asked.

She stared at him, sniffing.

Maes smiled like he thought something was a little funny. "Have you been playing outside with the other kids? Have you been climbing the rocks with them?"

Sarah licked her strawberry lips. She nodded.

"Have you been using your special arm to climb?" Maes asked. "Have you been using both arms?"

Sarah nodded.

Maes looked at the ceiling and chuckled. "Alright. That makes sense." He stood. "Give me a second, Sarah. I need to get you a sling from Paninya's medicine closet."

"Wait," I said. "What did you do?"

Maes shrugged. "I just used alchehestry to feel out the problem. She pulled some muscles, that's all. Her arm just needs a rest."

"Dang," I mumbled to myself.

Sarah stared at me, clutching her arm close to her. She looked like she'd figured out Maes was going to leave her alone with me for a second, scary stranger-girl.

"I'll be right back," said Maes. And he hurried out.

I stood where I was, folding my hands. I was really hungry. I hoped Maes wouldn't take too long. Sarah looked like the kind of child who could really have a breakdown with a stranger. She kept staring at me with her big stone eyes. I gave her an awkward smile.

"Are you a princess?" Sarah said, her voice coming out like a squeaky toy.

I blinked. I guessed I was kind of the daughter of a king. Did that count? I guessed it would to a two-year-old.

"Yeah," I said, guessing that was what she wanted to hear. "I'm Nina. I'm the Princess of Amestris."

Sarah gave off a little smile. She had all these little baby teeth in her mouth. It was freaking adorable.

"Are you a princess?" I asked.

Sarah nodded. I found myself smiling at that. She took it as encouragement and smiled bigger at me.

"I'm going to marry Maes," she said, swinging her feet.

I chuckled. "That so? Is Maes a prince?"

Sarah nodded. She looked excited now. She'd stopped sniffing. I felt cool like I'd actually done something.

"Yep," said Maes, coming through the door. He was carrying a long white rectangle of cloth "I'm promised to every princess in Rush Valley."

He came around the table and started folding the cloth into a sling. I laughed. It wasn't hard to believe he'd be so popular. I didn't know tons about Maes, but I did know he was ridiculously likeable.

"Well," I said, sticking my hands on my hips, "does that mean I get to be one of your little princesses, too, Prince Maes."

I could see Maes smiling now, but kind of steady this time instead of completely playful. "I don't think so, Princess Nina." He looked over his shoulder a little at me, holding the sling in both hands now, ready to go. "You'd stand out too much."


	11. Chapter 11: OVA-Oh, Sweet Childhood

Author's Note: This chapter is a flashback (kind of a backstory chapter) done in third person limited POV. It's a sidetrack from the main plot, but it gives you some perspective on Maes and Nina.

PhantomhiveHost: I've been pretty excited about using a lot of alchehestry in this fanfic rather than just alchemy. Ha, my mom actually looks like a princess because she's way pretty and had this long flowing golden hair. I was convinced when I was a kid and she and my dad were cinderella and charming.

lllovebooks: I know! Let's get Nina to tape her hands to a fire hydrant! That should do the trick, am I right? Hahaha

mixmax300: I turned in a poem for CW class a few days ago about a nightmare. I kind of regret doing it. The people in my class always get really shocked when my teacher reads something of mine aloud and it's twisted. I don't really come off as the twisted type at first glance. Oops, haha. But, you know? I think Maes wants to be Nina's princess, gahaha :D

otakgirlyy: Yeah, the end statement was actually supposed to be the sort of thing that could be taken a lot of ways. It's so Maes to say something that sounds like it should be insulting but the way he says it makes it sound like a complement.

Hawkstang: Hahaha! Go ahead and laugh. My sister actually made that scenario up and begged me to post it. She felt really strongly about it. Ha! The way you said you didn't know if you should be laughing had us rolling on the bed laughing. And the not wanting to know about the water weight. I told my sis not to explain that one to me either :S

* * *

Chapter 11: OVA—Oh, Sweet Childhood

Maes Elric: Four Years Old

Maes rested his padded child's hands on his mother's skirted lap. He'd been having trouble standing up without her help lately. He smiled, his lips parting gently to show off the gummy gap at the front of his mouth where he'd lost his first tooth three nights ago eating apple slices.

Winry leaned off her cushioned chair to take his knobby elbows carefully. His arms almost seemed brittle now. They had gotten so thin. Winry pulled him up to standing, feeling his fragile body trembling like a wet mouse as his muscles fought to keep him upright. His knees wobbled under him like decaying sapling trunks.

Maes took a raspy breath and coughed on it, his chest crackling. He'd been choking on air for almost a month now. The doctor said it wasn't a problem as long as he was still getting oxygen, but Maes's lips and fingernails were tinting bluer every week and the doctor was running out of excuses.

It didn't seem fair to Winry. Her second child, Sophie, had been born within a week of her due date and had come into the world healthy, strong from the very beginning. Maes had been premature by over a month and all it took was another child sneezing in his direction from across the room for Maes to be debilitated with pneumonia or bronchitis for weeks.

Both pregnancies had seemed to go the same for Winry; morning sickness in the first trimester, cravings in the second, and swollen ankles in the third. She used to lay in Edwards arms at night while he slept and cry silent tears into his chest, trying to figure out what she'd done differently with Sophie that had made her daughter healthy, what she'd neglected to do for Maes.

Winry had stopped obsessing over it after Edward caught her one night and told her it was selfish for her to cry about it. Maes would never cry in front of Winry because he knew she was already crying _for_ him. Maes knew. Edward could see it in his smile.

Winry held Maes's thin shoulders and let him latch his fingers onto her hip so he could steady himself. She didn't say anything, knowing he'd want to reply. Every word took three times as much oxygen as he earned from a single breath. She kept her hand on his back, feeling the ridges of his vertebrae, the poking of his ribs as they rose and fell with every labored breath.

It was three months since his fourth birthday and Maes still hadn't grown past Winry's mid-thigh. Eating was hard for Maes when he had difficulty breathing. He'd try, but the efforts to swallow and take breaths would strain him to the point of his skin going white and his eyes growing pink and bloodshot.

Winry must have shown something in her face, because she found Maes resting his warm cheek against her leg and straining to speak what little he could.

"I'm," he breathed, "happy."

He never said he was feeling better anymore, never said he was, 'good,' or, 'alright.' Just said he was happy. Winry touched his silky honey-hair. Sometimes she would have a terrifying sense that her son knew what was happening to him and he was saying he was happy in spite of it.

Winry felt the backs of her eyes ach to cry. She closed her lids and swallowed the urge back, remembering her husband's warning over crying for Maes. She blinked a few times, meeting her son's glassy golden eyes. He pulled his face into a quivering grin for her, the smile he'd gotten from his father.

Winry leaned over his gaunt frame and scooped him into her arms like she was picking up an armful of cracked eggshells. He felt like a small skeleton in her arms. She cradled his weak body, helping him rest his heavy head on her shoulder. He panted from standing, curling against her.

"Where would you like me to take you?" Winry asked. She tightened her arms around him, fearing the possibility of him asking to be tucked into bed while the sun was still out again.

"Tell me," he said, "the story." He peered up at his mother, his lips turning a faint blue from pushing out the words. "Nina's story."

"Again?"

Nina Mustang: Seven Years Old

Nina was inconsolable. Roy had healed the burns, Riza had managed to salvage the singed teddy bear, but Nina couldn't catch her breath through the sobs. She had her freshly healed hands cupped over her eyes, burying her face in her knees. Her white nightgown had smudges of grey ash on the sleeve from the pillowcase. Roy put his hand on her head. She'd come so close to burning her face this time. If Black Hayate hadn't started barking, Nina might have set the whole bed on fire.

"Nina, baby?" said Riza softly, rubbing Nina's curled back. "It was just a dream, sweetheart. We're right here."

"Turn off the lights," Nina said, breathing choppily. The unsteadiness in her small voice made Roy uneasy. "Everything's white!"

Roy rose to his feet and hurried to the switch on her wall. He flicked it off then closed the door to the hall to block the light from the other rooms. So, she'd been dreaming about the Portal again.

Riza urged Nina into her arms, but Nina remained rigid and individual, like part of her was still stuck in her nightmare and she couldn't be forced out. Roy felt his eyebrows pinching together and his mouth tightening into a frown. They'd done as much as they could to make the first three years of Nina's life go away, but in the end, he was still unable to help her.

"Nina," said Roy, coming to the bed as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, "you know Daddy's going to keep you safe, right?"

"You're never there," she said, her voice breaking. She quaked with a new series of sobs. Riza tried to hold her again, rubbing her arms, but Nina just curled more into herself.

"Because it's a dream," said Roy. He didn't question his irrational need to justify himself to her.

"Just a dream," echoed Riza. "Settle down, sweetheart. Come on, Nina. Breathe."

Nina breathed, but she breathed fast. Roy felt his shoulders tense, watching her shake in her panic. He sat.

Nina was the sweetest most trusting person Roy knew. He'd never really considered himself the fatherly-type, but being with Nina had quickly changed his perspective on that matter. Roy wasn't exactly good with children, but caring for Nina was something that had come easy to him. She'd trusted him from the moment she'd been given to him. She'd loved him when he couldn't figure out what he'd done to deserve it. She'd always felt safe in his arms.

Now she was alone. Even with her parents sitting on either side of her, she couldn't make the terror stop.

"Why?" she asked, her breathing heightening to the point of hyperventilation. "Why am I like this? Why can't I make it stop?"

"It's normal to have nightmares after you go through the Gate," said Riza.

"Why do I have to catch on fire?" she asked, picking her face up and rubbing her eyes. "Why can't I control it like you?"

Roy leaned forward on the bed. She was talking to him. "Just remember your band-aids next time."

Nina looked up at her father through the dark, her button-nose starting to dribble down her lip. She sniffled. Her breathing settled. "You pretty much never catch anything on fire, Daddy." She wiped her snot off with the back of her sleeve. "If I practice alchemy really hard, can I get gloves like yours so the sparks only happen when I tell them to?"

Roy felt an ache in his throat, a guttural urge to tell her why that was impossible. How much he wished it could be possible. He leaned to her and hugged her tiny body in his arms. She felt feverish against his skin. She sniffed, leaning on him, giving him permission to hold her. Roy pulled her onto his lap and kissed the top of her head. Her inky hair was warm and damp with sweat.

"I love you, Nina," said Roy.

Nina huddled in his embrace.

"I'm sorry," said Roy.

"We're so sorry, sweetheart," said Riza.

Roy felt Riza leaning on him, reaching over his arm to stroke Nina's hair. Nina rested her head under her father's chin, her face nuzzling his chest, rubbing her snot into his t-shirt.

"It's okay," she said, clutching onto her father. "Don't tell me anything. I really don't mind. Just don't leave me alone." She sobbed.

"We're right here, Nina," said Riza, petting Nina's hair again.

Roy felt his chest get warm and damp where her face was nestled and realized she was crying tears onto him. He squeezed her gently, reminding her he was there. "I'm not going to let go, Nina. I promise." Roy could hear her crying again, soft and sleepy, muffled by his shirt. Roy patted her knees, straightening her nightgown over them. "Daddy's got you, baby girl. Daddy's here."


	12. Chapter 12: Boring Morning

Author's Note: Short. Uneventful. Blah.

Shan-Shan XP: Thanks for the positive feedback of the POV. I've always struggled with third person-limited. About Maes, it goes into it more later, but obviously Ed and Winry told Maes plenty of their stories, and Nina's stuck out to Maes because he felt a connection to it. But, like I said, it'll go into that some later.

Hawkstang: Aw! I am so sorry. My sister always has traumatizing things like that to say. I've worked all my life to learn to ignore it. But, yes, the water weight thing? I'm glad she didn't explain that to me.

verry-chan: Yeah, I think Maes wanted Nina to think there was something cool in the suitcase. I mean, for him, it was really cool. Anyway...one of my friends had a micro-preemie (small enough to fit in your hand) and she still blames herself for not being able to make the contractions stop. People tell her it wasn't her fault and her son's now a healthy kindergartener, but she can't stop feeling like she nearly killed him. It's so sad. (I actually have a few friends who had preemies and they feel the same way. I was a preemie, but my mom was just glad to get me out while I was still small :P)

mixmax300: Ha! Hahahahaha. You wrote me an extra review just to say "Write on!" That's the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Aw! *ahem* Now that I've been thoroughly touched (that sounds a little wrong, doesn't it?), I'm glad you liked the flashbacks. I actually had just been scribbling Maes's little background down in the car in my notebook just to kill time. I liked where it was going, so I finished it on the computer and, voilà.

* * *

Chapter 12: Boring Morning

Paninya made all the kids have breakfast before Maes did their automail for them. She said they'd get queasy if they got their nerves messed with on empty stomachs. The kids flocked into the kitchen around nine in the morning and helped themselves to all kinds of junk. I'd eaten a roll earlier, so I stood back from the hungry beasts.

"You been up long?" Paninya asked, coming up behind me in her robe. "You've got circles under your eyes."

I stood at the doorway, watching the metal children devour their spoils. "Couldn't sleep."

"Maes is out like a light," Paninya laughed. "Sarah woke up with a sling on, so I'm guessing she got him up in the middle of the night to fix her arm again. Most of the time I think she's just looking for attention."

I turned my head to Paninya. She was still in her pajamas like she'd just got up. Her black hair was frizzing out of its ponytail. I folded my arms. "Who are all these kids, anyway?" I asked.

Paninya looked a little stunned and I wondered whether I'd asked something rude or if I'd just asked something obvious. "Well, they're orphans. Most of them are, anyway. The kids who get sent here are ones with nowhere to go. It's kind of like a foster home, but these kids need special attention because of their automail."

"And you run it by yourself."

"Kind of," said Paninya. "This area belongs to Mister and Misses LeCoulte, some old friends of mine. Most of the people living in the houses around here are friends of theirs, so everyone around here is quick to help me out when I need a hand."

"That's pretty much cool," I said. "You're like a super hero or something."

Paninya looked kind of uncertain about that. "I just feed them and help them out with their maintenance. They're pretty well behaved most of the time."

"They're probably happy to have a family," I said. I folded my hands behind my back. "I was adopted from a bad situation when I was little. My parents always told me that I was so happy to have a mom and dad when they took me in that I did everything I was told with a smile on my face, even the not so fun stuff."

"Sounds like Maes," said Paninya, chuckling. "I remember when he was a kid. He used to follow Edward around like a little puppy. And even after his younger sister decided she didn't want to be picked up anymore, Maes still let Winry hold him on her lap. Of course, that was when he was still really small for his age. Sophie was a few inches taller than him back then."

I nodded. "Maes wasn't adopted, though, so he was probably just born good natured."

"Maybe so," said Paninya, smiling like she pretty much agreed. "But he got sick a lot, you know? He had to depend on his parents for everything. I know every child needs someone they can trust to take care of them, but that went for triple for Maes. He had to trust his parents with his life. I guess what you were saying about being happy just to have a mom and dad made me think of how happy Maes looked every time he'd see Edward and Winry. I don't think he ever took them for granted."

It was funny. Being sick just didn't seem to fit a guy like Maes. I couldn't really imagine him as some kind of an invalid as a child. Although, he seemed like the kind of person who could pretty much make the best of it no matter how sick he was. I wasn't that way at all. Any time I got so much as a fever I'd just lay in bed like a pathetic loser and get my mom to spoon feed me beef broth and read me classic novels all day. Of course, I had a killer immune system. Fevers didn't happen very often.

After breakfast, everyone was sent to their rooms to get dressed and brush their teeth and crap. I kind of was tempted to follow the kid with the metal jaw because the idea of him brushing his half-metal mouth was just too cool to pass up. But I let it go, figuring getting too excited over something like that would seem sort of petty.

Sarah grabbed my hand on her way out of the kitchen. It made me jump in my skin a little. She was so small I didn't even see her coming. Plus, both my parents were kind of old and kind of famous, so they didn't have too many young friends bringing their babies over all the time like normal families. I was very much an only child who tended to admire kids from a safe distance. Sarah's hand felt too little in mine and it sort of freaked me out.

"Jeez!" I said, jerking a little. I looked down. "Oh, hey. You again, Princess Sarah."

Sarah smiled and hung on tighter to my hand so I wouldn't pull away. She was adorable with her curly brown hair hanging at her shoulders and her little freckled nose. She looked like a doll. I took a chance and tightened my fingers around her hand. I figured she'd like that.

"I got to go potty," said Sarah, tugging my arm.

I loosened my grip on her. "Interesting."

A kind of older girl with her hair in braids came up beside us. She was one of those taller kids that stuck out because they were bossy at all the littler ones. She had an automail leg that seemed to go up to her hip-joint. Kind of basic stuff. The floor clinked when she stepped.

"Don't listen to Sarah," she said, folding her scrawny arms. "She just had me take her five minutes ago. All she wants is attention."

Well, that was darn cute. I gripped tight again to Sarah's hand. "Cool! I don't do the whole 'bathroom buddy' thing. It's way overrated. You spend half the party waiting for your friend to quit checking her teeth in the mirror." I stopped. The kids looked lost and kind of bored. I looked at braid-girl. "You need to get dressed or something?"

"I'm Kate," she said. "I'm going to be twelve this winter."

"I'm Nina," I said, just assuming we were supposed to be trading info with each other. "I'll be twenty-two this coming spring and I feel completely uncool admitting that to your face."

"Could have fooled me. I thought you were younger than Maes." The way Kate said it did not sound flattering. "Where'd you get that dress?"

"I don't know. Central, I guess." Yeah, that was a lie, kind of. I didn't really get my dresses from anywhere. They were pretty much all handmade for me because apparently Janie in PR didn't like the idea of people seeing parts of my regular wardrobe in shop windows.

"You've been to Central? I guess you travel a lot, like Maes."

"Not so much," I said.

"Where's your automail?"

"I don't have any."

"Then why are you here?" This kid was a pickle.

"Maes brought me." It was completely the truth.

"Why are you following him around?" Kate asked, acting kind of skeptical.

I felt kind of awkward because I didn't really have a completely credible verbal answer for her question. I sucked on my bottom lip.

Sarah hugged one of her arms around my lower leg and patted me right under the knee. "You got boo-boos all over, Princess."

I looked down. She had her hands all over the damn scars. I looked away from Sarah and saw Kate was tracing up and down my scars with her speculative eyes. I got that everyone in the house, even Maes, had scars here and there from their automail surgery and the accidents that had made it necessary and junk, but I really didn't know if I could explain too well to a couple of kids that I'd been kicked around as a kid before my parents adopted me.

"What happened to your legs?" asked Kate, staring at my stems and not at me.

I smiled as natural as I could, but it felt too big and kind of awkward. "Car accident," I said. "Really messy car accident. Yep. And you?"

"What?"

"How'd your leg come off?"

Kate frowned like she'd eaten something really bitter and she wanted to spit it out on my face. "You can't just ask someone that."

"You asked me about my scars," I argued, kind of getting that I was too old to argue with her. "Same thing."

"No, you still have both your legs."

"Yeah, but it's not like the memories go away." I felt like I'd meant what I said, but it was kind of a stretch. I didn't really remember being beaten or any of that other crap I went through back when I was a lab subject. I just remembered the years of never going out without panty-hose constricting my legs because apparently my legs were ugly as hell and people would be horrified if they caught sight of them. Plus, there was the fact that I'd never gone swimming in public at all because the marks would definitely show in a bathing suit. Even a kid with automail could hang out at the beach with her friends every once and a while.

Kate still looked pretty much like she didn't like me at all, but Paninya called for all the naughty kids who'd lagged behind to get ready and Kate left me alone. She dragged Sarah with her.

"She's just at that age," said Paninya, coming down the hall.

I backed against the kitchen doorway and leaned. "No, it's great." I smiled ridiculously at the ceiling. "I'm not used to people openly despising me. It's pretty much awesome."

"Pretty much awesome?" said Maes, following Paninya. "I guess we'll see how long that sentiment lasts you."

"Let me enjoy it while it lasts, then," I said. "Good morning. Again."

Maes was still in his pajamas. There were slightly wrinkled like he'd just gotten out of bed. He came to the kitchen doorway with me and leaned against the wall.

"So, Paninya," he said, "what do you think? Will she do?"

Paninya came on the other side of me and grinned. "For sure."

"Then it's settled," said Maes. He looked down at me and I felt my cheeks warm up as he put his hands on my shoulders. "Nina Mustang, consider yourself officially enrolled in automail emersion camp. Starting today, you are my assistant. You'll enjoy our first lesson. We're going to have some first-hand examples of just how talented kids below the age of seven are at trashing their automail within five days of it being repaired."

I shook my head. "Automail's kind of a touchy business. I don't know anything about it. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Paninya laughed at me. "Oh, we know. Maes would never let you touch these kids' automail on your own." She put her hands on her hips decisively. "Your job is lubricating and waxing afterward. I wish you luck."

"So," I said, "scut work?"

"Basically," she said with a devilish smile. I had a feeling I'd been chosen to do this so she wouldn't have to.

There was a pause for a second as she and Maes kind of just stared at me.

I shrank a little. "What?"

"It's nothing really," said Maes. "Just…I hope you brought more than just pretty dresses with you. Engine grease is kind of hard to get out of clothes."


	13. Chapter 13: His Intent to Kidnap

Author's Note: Pick-up line of the day: "I like my women how I like my salsa, thick 'n' chunky." (This wouldn't apply to Maes. He likes 'em scarred and gangly.)

PhantomhiveHost: Yeah, he and Paninya call her an assistant. For a first job, she'd probably call it slave-labor, haha.

Hawkstang: I've never broken a window. I really want to. Just like an activity. It's on the bucket list ;P

* * *

Chapter 13: His Intent to Kidnap?

So. Much. Grease.

I had all this oily brown engine goop smeared on me by the end of the day so that I couldn't even tell the filth from my scars anymore. The loose shirt and shorts I'd borrowed off Paninya were grainy with filed-off metal dust. The grease had even made it onto my face along my cheekbone just under my eye. I'd gotten oil in my hair somewhere along the way, too. No one had warned me a ponytail would've been a good idea for this job.

By 'automail emersion camp,' Maes and Paninya had more or less meant I'd be sitting in the back of the workshop hosing off and scrubbing down all the gross, overused automail parts until they shined. I swore, I'd never realized having a job could be so completely not fun at all. Those kids really did have a skill for trashing their automail.

Maes finished with everyone right before dinnertime and he sent me up to my room to grab a shower. I had to set the water to near-scalding, but I managed to get most of the grease off eventually. And then I had my nice clean dress from earlier waiting for me, so I felt pretty good by the time I came back out of my room.

"Nina?" Maes called from the foot of the stairs.

I came down the hall and looked over the stair rail. "Right here!"

He waved up. He was still in his shirt and trousers from earlier, virtually spotless. I kind of wanted to punch him for that. I sighed as I walked down. My hair was still kind of fresh out of the shower and it was dripping down my shoulders with every step. I probably looked like a soaked rat in pink to him.

"You alright?" he asked.

He put his hand out to me and I took it. I walked down the rest of the stairs holding his hand like I actually needed his help walking or something. "I'll be sore tomorrow, but I think the rest's just psychological."

He chuckled. "You didn't like getting dirty, huh?"

"I just didn't realize what I was getting into," I said. "I'll be better prepared next time."

Maes's eyes had a flash in them, like some kind of energy. He grinned. "You're something else, Nina. You're already talking about next time?"

I shrugged. "I've got plenty of firsts ahead of me. A few of them have got to be seconds."

Maes looked really excited to have me not completely discouraged after a day of scrubbing grime off rusty cables and out of screws. I was kind of proud of myself for proving not to be a total wimp about it.

"Hey, it's actually pretty much quiet," I said, looking around. "Where'd the kids go?"

"Oh, them?" said Maes. "Paninya always takes them for dessert in town if they sit through their check-ups and repairs without arguing."

"You don't like dessert?" I asked.

"I stayed at the workshop to pack up my tools, so I didn't get to have dinner with them. Can't eat dessert without any dinner on your stomach." Maes passed me by and went into the kitchen. I followed. He went to the pantry. "So, I heard Kate introducing herself to you earlier." He shot me a playful smile. "She's got a lot of personality."

"She hates me."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "she does."

"Did she lose her leg in some horrific unmentionable circumstance?"

Maes crinkled his brow. "Lose it? She never had it to begin with. A birth defect. She was born without a left leg."

"Oh, good," I said, sighing out in relief.

Maes reached in the pantry and pulled out a can of something. "Why, 'good'?"

"Well, I asked her about it and she acted kind of peeved. I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have asked."

Maes came out of the pantry with a can of yellow corn. "Oh. That's just Kate. I heard her. She was being sensitive about her legs again. She probably saw yours and got jealous."

"Cosmetic issue?" I asked.

Maes nodded.

I looked down at my nice clean legs. Most of the scars were just white and pink marks, but a few of them were big and ugly. Some were even still indented like I'd been gashed there or something. A few had a shine to them like old burns. "Poor thing's jealous of this? She must not see herself clearly."

Maes looked confused. He kind of stood in front of me with his can and looked up and down my legs for a second like he was trying to puzzle something out and they held the key. "What's wrong with them?"

I laughed because he sounded pretty darn oblivious. "Look, not everyone has your admiration for unorthodox beauty. Scars aren't usually something girls are proud of, you get me?"

Maes nodded, looking away from my legs and walking across the kitchen to grab a can opener off the counter. I took a seat at the table.

"So," he said. "I heard you tell her you got them in a car accident." He sounded kind of serious.

"Yeah. What was I supposed to tell her? The truth?"

"So, you remember it wasn't an accident?"

I folded my hands on the tabletop. "My mom told me my original guardians didn't treat me so good."

Maes smiled to himself, eyes down, opening his can. "Alright. I just needed to make sure."

"Sure of what?"

"That you knew."

He sounded so freaking vague I could have punched him. So, apparently, he knew the truth about it too. "Maes?"

He popped the jagged metal top off the can and grabbed a spoon. He sat on the counter and started scooping the canned sweet-corn in his mouth like he was a lot hungrier than I'd realized.

"That's your dinner?" I asked. "That's nasty. Have a sandwich or something."

He swallowed. "Why?"

"No one eats corn on its own for dinner."

"But, I do."

I giggled. "Weirdo."

Maes popped another heaping spoon in his mouth and smiled with his mouth full. It was freaking beautiful. I giggled again.

"You're a nice guy," I said.

"Thanks," said Maes between chewing.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "Everyone who's ever met you loves you. Even my parents had a hard time hating you, and you know the situation there."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Completely."

"Good." I liked that that was his response.

I looked up at him and watched him eat his canned corn with a spoon. I looked away, folding my hands tighter. "Maes, you know I had my reasons for leaving with you." I could hear him chewing. "I'd been trapped in Central for too long. I was starting to feel smothered and things had started to go wrong with me and my parents. Then my dad nearly hit me, and I…"

"And you knew you'd already waited too long," he said.

Maes set the can down on the counter. It clunked like it was hollow. I was completely awed that he'd managed to wolf down that entire can so quickly. He'd barely stopped for air.

I bit my lip, trying to figure out how I'd ask what I had to ask. I felt really stupid. My face was getting that burning feeling and I felt even more stupid for blushing. "The thing is, you never really told me _your_ reason. Why did you agree to take me along like this?"

Maes looked at me for a while, just stared. He looked kind of mild, like he wasn't fazed at all by me and my questions and junk. I could kind of tell his mouth was ready to smile. But it didn't. He just stared. "Keep in mind, I've been told a lot more about you then you have about me. I didn't consider you a total stranger."

I nodded and waited for him to keep talking, because the way he'd said it sounded like he was just giving some premise.

Maes leaned back on the cabinets behind him. "You remember how I told you I got sick a lot when I was growing up, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Well, there were a lot of days when I couldn't get out of bed much, so my dad would sit in my room with me and tell me stories from his past. And even though all his stories were worth hearing, the one I liked to hear over and over was the story about Nina Mustang."

"Wait," I said. "I was a bedtime story?"

Maes smiled. "My dad first told it about two soldiers who found a little girl who wasn't like all the other kids."

"That wasn't supposed to insult me, right?" I asked.

"No," Maes laughed. "Through my childhood, my dad told a lot of stories he'd heard about you from your parents. I felt like I knew you." He jumped off the countertop and came to sit across from me so he could look me in the eye better. "I just wanted to meet you. That was all. I wanted to meet the girl who wasn't like everyone else."

"And then you met me and bought me a muffin." I smiled, thinking back to it and how I'd hounded him on drinking his milk.

"I liked you," he said. "You really were different."

I still couldn't figure out how that was a good thing. "Then I took you seriously about kidnapping me someday and practically begged you to take me away right then and there. Okay. I see."

"I wouldn't have taken you with me if I hadn't had some basis for it. I'd heard a lot about you, and I liked you when I met you in person. I figured there wouldn't be any harm in it." He locked his fingers together on the table. "Besides, a guy could do worse than escorting the Sweetheart of Amestris out of Central."

I laughed kind of hard at that, because I'd been just waiting for him to say it. He laughed with me because he probably pretty much knew I'd been waiting. I sighed, folding one leg over the other and leaning my elbow on the wooden armrest.

"One thing, Maes," I said, getting peaceful and junk. "When you said you'd been told I was 'special,' what exactly did that imply?"

"Well," he said, "there _was_ one thing about you I thought sounded unique."

"And…that was?"

Maes met my eyes like he was doing it on purpose, like he really wanted to meet my eyes. He looked happy I'd asked him. The gold in his irises was kind of orangey-gold in the dusky light of the kitchen with its lights still switched off. He was looking at me with his whole gaze like he really wanted my attention, so I straightened up and listened.

"You've been afraid," he said. "And you don't know how to be anything else."

I couldn't really see anything to do but frown at that. He usually had a way to make things sound positive, but what he'd said was kind of true and there wasn't much positive about being afraid. "How would you know that?"

"Because I'm the same way." He wasn't smiling. "And hearing it out loud isn't half as bad as keeping it secret."


	14. Chapter 14: OVA-Empty Nest

Author's Note: Another off-plot chapter. Sorry. I gots a migraine. I can't write real stuff right now. Tide yourselves over with this :S

Oh, and bad headache means shorter replies to reviews. Sorry.

Shan-Shan XP: Aw, I'm glad my chapter cheered you up after work :)

Hawkstang: You're mom sounds like she'd be an awesome book character.

RoseblossomWarrior: Ha! I've actually been challenging myself to update every day, so you won't have to wait too long for more chapters (hopefully).

* * *

Chapter 14: OVA—First Night with an Empty Nest

Riza felt his broad hand on her waist, rubbing up and down over her satin nightgown. She'd fallen asleep with her back to him. That hadn't happened in a long time.

She wasn't mad at him, not really. It wasn't like she needed to be left alone, either. The only real reason that she'd fallen asleep with her back to him that night was because she'd had so much trouble falling asleep that she'd tossed and turned away from him without realizing it. And now he was waking her up to cuddle.

"Can't sleep?" Riza said, speaking in sleepy breaths.

Roy's warm hand rubbed her stomach gently, coming behind her to wrap his arm over her. He didn't want to talk. He hadn't wanted to talk since the moment his hand had come down on their daughter's face at lunch.

Riza felt his lips on her neck, his warm breath breathing slow and tired on the vulnerable skin under her jaw. She rolled over in the darkness and took his face in her hands, feeling with her fingertips for his lips. His jaw felt rough with nighttime stubble.

Roy threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer. Riza kissed his mouth. They kissed in silence. The only sound in the night's perfect stillness was the soft suck of their lips. Riza parted. Roy settled back on his pillow. Riza huddled there with him.

"Do you remember when she used to sleep in here with us every night?" Riza asked him.

He kissed Riza's forehead, rubbing up and down her arm under the covers.

"She was so afraid to sleep alone," said Riza.

Riza felt his forehead nod up and down against hers.

Riza sighed. "She slept right in between us every night for almost a year before you became Fuhrer. She'd start crying if we even mentioned her going back to her own bed. She had to have both of us, one on either side of her so she could hold onto us."

Roy began to chuckle. "We had to save sex for during the daytime while she was still at school. I still get turned on thinking about the old days every time you come to my office for a lunch break."

"Hey!" said Riza. "That was only once."

"There was that time…"

"Twice."

"And then there was…"

"Alright, maybe it was a few times."

Riza was surprised to hear Roy laugh like he meant it. She was surprised to feel the smile coming up in her own mouth. She bit her lip. The smile fell.

"I wonder if she remembered to put her band-aids on," said Riza.

Roy took a deep sigh.

"Do you think she'll call?" Riza asked.

Roy didn't answer. Only time would tell.

Riza curled deeper into Roy's embrace, soaking in his warmth. She nuzzled his chest, burrowing, searching for comfort. "Do you remember the night she stopped sleeping with us?"

Roy hugged his arms around Riza, encouraging her to continue cuddling.

"You had a dream, Roy," said Riza softly. "One of your nightmares."

"About Ishval," said Roy.

"She'd never seen you wake up from a bad nightmare before that night."

"It had been a while."

"You vomited."

"Yeah," said Roy.

Riza kissed his shoulder like she was kissing a boo-boo. Roy rested his chin on her head.

"That was the night she realized Mom and Dad weren't perfect," said Roy. "Just ordinary humans."

"No," said Riza, "she always knew we were ordinary humans. She just hadn't realized you had such bad dreams." Riza smiled. "Nina went to her room after that because she thought you'd be pretending as long as she was there. She didn't want you to have to put on a brave face for her."

Roy was silent. Riza could feel his muscles tensing slightly against her.

Roy exhaled forcefully, his breath coming out frustrated. "How did this happen?"

"It needed to happen."

"Not like this, Riza."

"You're right," she said. "Not like this. But, it's too late to look back. We just need to let it run its course. She'll be back. We just have to be patient."

"After what I almost did to her," said Roy, "I wouldn't blame her if she never came back."

"You don't give our girl enough credit," said Riza. "She'll be back."

Roy pulled away a bit. At first Riza thought it might be because of something she'd said. She was about to try to apologize, then she saw the blurry form of his hand in the darkness, its palm on Roy's pillow rubbing the spot where Nina used to sleep.

"She'll be back," said Riza, now telling herself as well as her husband.

Roy rubbed the empty spot. Riza felt a shake in her breath. She touched Roy's hand and he latched tight. They fell asleep like that; silent, face to face, holding hands over the place their daughter had once been.


	15. Chapter 15: Talking Sensitive

Author's Note: I'd just like to call to attention that all through my writing I've been misspelling names of characters and places from the original series all over the place and I feel silly for not proofing more thoroughly before I posted. Sorry. But I'm not going to take the time to correct it and repost. That's just annoying. Okay, that's all.

verry-chan: Aw, thanks for calling me a trooper. I really did feel like crap. But I'm determined to keep up with my updates. I consider it good practice for pacing my writing in the future :)

ArainaO'leary: Well, thanks! :D

Hawkstang: I used to sleep between my parents curled right up on their pillow. I'd hold my mom's hair and kick my dad's face all night. Then they had three more kids and there wasn't room in their bed anymore. Boo.

PhantomhiveHost: Ha! It's a good thing I got a migraine, then. I wouldn't have written about the Mustangs otherwise.

RoseblossomWarrior: Aw, leaving the nest is hard. My sister's about to do it herself. She'd better visit me every chance she gets.

otakgirlyy: If I was Nina, I'd be calling my parents so fast the phone would probably break from me dialing the number too frantically. I get homesick so bad. But that's me :P

Chapter 15: Talking Sensitive

I looked Maes dead in the eye from across the breakfast table. "Alright, what are you scared of?"

Maes looked away.

"Come on," I said, crossing up my arms. "You said you were afraid. What are you afraid of?"

Maes shook his head.

"You just said it's better to say it out loud."

He looked at me. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"So?"

Maes sighed. "Will you get angry with me if I don't say it?"

"Will you say it if I get angry with you?" Now I really wanted to know.

Maes smiled like I was cute. "Fine." He touched his chest where the automail was docked under his shirt. "I'm afraid…that someday this isn't going to be enough to persuade me to keep fighting. Someday, I'll finally get sick of the pain and the hassle and I'll just stop performing maintenance and tune-ups. My automail will expire and I'll let myself suffocate to death."

"That's stupid." I kind of felt bad for saying it after I'd said it.

"Fear doesn't have to be logical," Maes said. He looked at me. "Thing is, it really isn't all that farfetched. Every day is a struggle with this machine planted into my lungs. All it would take was one crucial moment of giving up and I could die. Just one bolt I don't feel like tightening. Just one hint of rust I choose to ignore until my next tune-up."

I felt my body shudder. I hugged myself. "That's morbid. Please don't think like that."

"It would be nice if it was that easy."

I stood up and reached across the table to pat his hand. "Hey, I'm enrolled in automail emersion camp, right? So, by the end of it, if you give up on your maintenance, I'll just do it for you. How's that?"

Maes laughed, which was a little beyond what I was expecting. "That's plenty of incentive for me to keep up with it myself."

"Huh?"

Maes grinned kind of smug. "Suffocating to death I can handle, but there are few fates worse than having an amateur handle your automail."

"Yeah, yeah." I sat down.

Maes chuckled. "And you?"

"And me?"

"What are you afraid of, Miss Nina?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't already know or something?"

"I don't think you ever told me."

That was because I'd never told anyone. "I figured you just kind of already knew. You know, like a psychic?"

He laughed. "I know a lot about you, Nina, but I don't know you very well personally just yet. You're going to have to tell me some things."

In a way, hearing him say that was great. But in another way, I kind of wished he was psychic and did know me as well as he acted like he did. It would have saved a lot of time.

"Okay," I said, looking down at the tabletop. I laid my hands in front of me and looked at their palms and scarred fingertips. "I know there are a million things for me to be afraid of. Like, the Portal. You know about that, right?"

"My dad's been through a few times."

"Yeah, so I still have nightmares about that, but those are just dreams. I'm not scared of the Portal. I've been there. I've done that."

"Makes sense."

"I guess a lot of adopted kids have abandonment issues and junk. I don't have that. Sometimes they're desperate to know where they came from. I don't have that either. I'm not really afraid of any of those things. Heck, I'm not even afraid of my hands lighting me on fire in my sleep. I know how to heal the burns. There's no impending doom there."

"Then what's got you afraid, Nina?" He looked kind of sincere. I shrank a little. I hadn't meant to seem too bothered.

I wiggled my fingers. "I think I'm supposed to know how to use these. I know I suck at controlling it right now, but I get the feeling that that isn't how it's supposed to be. I guess I just feel like there's something in me that's capable of doing more than just drawing classes and photo-ops with the ambassador of Aerugo. And, I guess what scares me about that is I have no idea what that is. I'm pretty much scared I'll never figure it out. I'm pretty much scared that if I do figure it out, it won't be half as great as I expected."

"Or maybe it'll be bigger than you'd expected," said Maes. "Nina, you do realize you're capable of more than your own father?"

My heart banged. "No joke?"

Maes smiled. "No joke."

"You know what I can do? You know about what I'm capable of?"

"Kind of. I know the stories. The rest is just common sense."

"But, you know?"

Maes chuckled. "I'll tell you about it if you want."

I scooted in so hard and tight that the chair screeched on the ground like a wild banshee. "Tell me now!"

"Not now," he replied. "Not right before bed. You'll have trouble sleeping."

It wasn't the answer I'd expected at all. "Is it really that bad?"

"It depends on how you look at it."

"That doesn't sound promising."

Maes laughed. He stood. "Are you a fan of ham on your grilled cheese?"

"Grilled cheese?" I asked. "Like croquet monsieur? That's street food, right?"

"Yep. You know how to make one?"

"Heck no."

Maes pushed his chair in and waltzed over to the breadbox. "Do you want to learn?"

My mouth stretched into a grin. "Heck yeah!" I hopped out of my seat and joined him at the bread box to pick out something thick and sandwich-worthy. For a moment, looking at all that sliced bread, I thought about all that burned up toast my dad used to cook up for me when I was growing up. I chuckled to myself. The freaking Flame Alchemist of Amestris and he couldn't toast a slice of bread.

"Nina, you okay?" said Maes. "You look like you're about to cry."

I looked up, kind of surprised at myself. I blinked back the coming tears. "Bread's just a sentimental thing, you know?"

"No, I'm not so sure." He kind of looked like he was actually trying to understand.

I pushed his shoulder playfully. "So what the heck kind of cheese do you put on these sandwiches of yours, huh?"

"I guess it's whatever's in the fridge," he said, getting a laugh in his voice.

"Cool, so it's like a makeshift collaborative project here." I went to the fridge. "Let's do this. Let's make food!"

"Don't tell me you've never cooked for yourself, Nina."

"Sure I've cooked for myself! I wasn't that pampered." I shrugged. "I've just never used a stove or an oven on my lonesome. Mom and Dad didn't want me to get burned."

Maes raised his eyebrows. "They never let you handle fire?"

"Mm, not so much, I guess."

Maes laughed. "Well, this should be fun."


	16. Chapter 16: Tell Me How It Is

Author's Note: Gah! Finals!

RoseblossomWarrior: Oh, Maes is just full of morbid schnitzel :)

mixmax300: Oo! A trip? I want to go on a trip! Except, not. I kind of just want to visit the zoo...Oh, and I'm a big grilled cheese fan, too :D

Hawkstang: Your sister should try using an electric stove. No fire involved there. Maybe the fire's just jinxing her somehow :P

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Chapter 16: Tell Me How It Is

Maes held my hand, my left hand. We sat together on the front stoop. He tilted the hand toward the early morning sunlight for a better look. The crisp light bounced of my palm and highlighted the stark white and pink tinted scars. He lowered my hand and ran his fingers over my palm like he was a freaking fortune teller. He touched my fingers one by one like he was stealing fries off of my hand. He stopped. He smiled. He gave me back my hand.

"Do you know how you got these scars?" he asked.

I held onto my hand against my chest, feeling its finger's digits like I was taking inventory. "Yeah, sure. In a lab"

Maes shook his head.

"Not in a lab?"

Maes shook his head.

"Damn. It never really occurred to me that they might have stretched the truth about stuff. I thought my parents had more class than that."

"They were just trying to keep you safe," said Maes. "You nearly died to get those scars."

"What, seriously?"

Maes nodded.

"So, spill."

Maes leaned back on the stoop, resting his elbows on one of the concrete steps behind him. "Do you remember the deal you had to make when you were forced through the Portal?"

"Nope. Something about Flame Alchemy?"

"That's right. You did ask for Flame Alchemy. Either that, or the researchers found a way to ask for you. You were only two years old when they put you through, so you couldn't tell your parents much about it afterward."

"So, the scars were my equivalent exchange thingy?" I stared at my hands face-up.

Maes shook his head. "No, the scars were what you paid for. Drachma wanted the key to Flame Alchemy, not a new Flame Alchemist. The scars on your hands are leftovers from the Gate trying to burn the alchemic notes for Fire Alchemy into your palms."

"Wait, there were notes on my hands?"

"Branded into them over and over again. Your parents told my dad you would wake up screaming and your hands would set on fire. No matter what they tried, they couldn't put it out. It just had to run its course. When the fire died, the alchemic arrays would be burned into your skin. Uncle Roy would heal them on a medicinal circle and the notes would be erased."

"But, I've still got the scars."

"Yes," said Maes. "By the end, your hands were blazing more violently every time, and it would take as much as two minutes for it to stop. Your parents told my dad that they had been worried your hands would burn off before Uncle Roy could heal them."

"That is so gross." I made a face. "So, I'm guessing it got so bad that Dad stopped being able to heal it completely every time?"

Maes nodded.

"So, I got a few scars. Okay. I get it." I clenched and unclenched my fists like I was trying to get my circulation going. "But, why the hell did the scars heal back flammable?"

"I don't know. That one was never explained, as far as I know. I will say that the Gate never does things how the alchemist intended. Humans tend to have a different view on equivalent exchange that the Gatekeeper."

"Yeah." I knew just about zilch when it came to alchemy. He probably knew that. "So, what was my price? If it wasn't getting my hands burned off my wrists, then what?"

"Your soul was bound to the Gate. It wasn't exactly clear to your parents the terms of your price, but every time you used Fire Alchemy or any other alchemy, a significant portion of your life force seemed to be sucked out of you. You were sleeping through days at a time by the end of it."

"By the end of it. You keep saying that." I felt kind of nervous to even ask. "What happened? Why am I still kicking?"

"Your mother saved you," Maes said. He smiled gently like he was getting fond. "Your dad opened the Portal with intent to negotiate with the Gatekeeper for your life. Your mom knew that there was nothing Uncle Roy could do, though, so she forced her way in using the notes tattooed to her—"

"What the hell?" I laughed. "You're telling me my mom has a tattoo? Oh, that is so cool on so many levels." I was kind of nervous about its location, though. I'd seen my mom naked plenty of times and I'd never seen any tattoo.

"She gave it up," said Maes. "The key to alchemy—same thing that was branded repeatedly into your hands—was originally tattooed to your mother's back. She forced her way into the Portal that your dad opened, using her tattooed notes as collateral. She gave up humankind's last remnants of access to Fire Alchemy in exchange for your freedom from the Gate."

I thought back to the blotchy pink scars all down my mom's back, the ones that looked kind of like burns. I'd never made her talk about them. I guessed now that they maybe once had something to do with her magical tattoo or something.

I gripped at my temples. "This is too much junk to process. You telling me my mom went through the Portal? And I came close to dying, right? You'd think I would've remembered that. Jeez."

"I think you forgot on purpose," said Maes.

I was about to kind of agree with him when I noticed another person coming into range. It surprised me. I hadn't really expected anyone else to be out and about at this ungodly hour.

Maes stiffened up and his face got stern and frowny. He narrowed his eyes when he looked at her, a young woman with rusty-looking hair tied up behind her head with a blue ribbon. She had a snuggled up bundle in her arms. It wasn't until she'd made it within fifteen feet of us that I realized it was a baby she was carrying.

"Whoa!" I whispered. "It's that lady."

Maes didn't take his eyes off her. She walked straight to us, or actually straight to Maes. Her expression was taught and stubborn. She marched right up to Maes. The baby in her arms didn't stir at all.

"You," she said calmly. "You know the alchemist who can make an automail heart for my son?"

"Pardon me, ma'am, but what gave you that idea?"

"Don't fool with me," the woman said. "I spent all of yesterday asking around town. They all said the same thing; visit the Elric boy. He knows more than anyone. He has connections. I don't need you to do anything for me. I just need an address or maybe a phone number for the alchemist."

I caught Maes tensing up more even though he was looking pretty calm in his face. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I cannot help you."

The woman clutched her baby close. "Please, he's my son."

"I understand," said Maes. His stone stare was kind of wrecked by the dark emotion in his eyes. "I understand your situation, ma'am, but whatever it was you heard about me, I cannot help you."

The woman hugged her baby to her chest. The poor thing never cried. She'd said he was sick. I wondered if he was too sick to cry.

The woman's eyes kind of welled up a little. "Please, Mr. Elric. I'm sorry I was rude to you after we first got off the train. Please! Please help me."

Maes stared at her for a while without saying anything. I could see him kind of flexing his jaw and parting his mouth a little like he wanted to say stuff but there was something getting in the way. I looked down and he had his fists clenched up tight, so tight his arms were vibrating as his sides just a little. I had a pretty good guess he wanted to help the woman's baby boy with every fiber of his being. Only problem was he'd said to me earlier it really was impossible.

Finally, Maes spoke. "I can't help you." He hunched, sliding his hands deep in his trouser pockets. "I'm sorry."

I looked at the woman and tears were coming down her face so big that they were dripping off her jaw. I sucked my lip. All the sudden I felt like I was fighting tears as well. I really wanted to give the lady a hug. Instead, I cleared my throat to give a little warning and I went inside so I wouldn't end up making some kind of scene in the middle of stuff.

I kind of thought about waiting by the door because I figured on Maes coming in pretty soon after me, but then I felt like I was being sort of nosy just hanging around, so I trotted up to my room with a bagel.

I sat on my bed and looked at the white and pink scars on my hand. I couldn't help but feel kind of impressed with myself for having the potential to be more powerful than my dad. Or, that was what Maes had said yesterday.

Even so, with all that power, I figured I'd probably be just as useless at saving that baby's life as Maes was. I felt my eyes try to cry again. Just something about kids in peril got to me more than other stuff. Suddenly I could have swatted Maes for not being able to save that baby. It didn't matter that there was no rationality to it. I just needed to swat him.

So, that was when Maes came through my door without knocking. It wasn't like I was indecent or anything. Actually, I was just sitting and thinking at the edge of my bed. But, I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't even heard his footsteps creak. So I kind of jumped out of my skin and squealed a little when he came in.

Maes didn't seem to give a darn; not about my reaction, not about how rude and potentially scandalous it was for him to come into my room unannounced, not even about how half the house was still asleep and he hadn't even tried to be gentle when he was slamming the door behind him.

I stood up. He walked right by me without giving me a glance. He went straight into my bathroom without shutting the door behind him. I heard the shower go on full blast. I ran over to peek into the bathroom.

Maes had his entire head stuck under the shower with the knob turned completely to cold. The water sprayed like none other, the water buzzing like flies as it zipped at him and hit his skin. I watched his golden hair soak and turn to a murkier darker golden shade. Maes stayed like that for about two or three minutes from what I could tell, though I didn't really time it.

He stood up kind of abruptly, letting his wet mop slosh water down onto his shoulders and down his collar and back. Big honking droplets streamed over his face, going into his lips and trickling down his eyelids so every blink sort of looked like tears.

He stood like that for a moment, all still and blank. His ribs were heaving fast and deep like he was breathing nervous. I heard him cough at the back of his throat.

"Maes?"

He looked at the running shower and reached in and cranked it off. He pivoted a little and sank down to sit on the edge of the tub. He rested his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands, bunching his fingers through his wet hair. He coughed again.

"Hey, Maes?" I kind of took a chance and eased down next to him.

"Nina?" he said, his voice trembling.

"Yeah?" I leaned in closer to hear him better.

Maes seemed a little breathless, but not because he was sick. It was more like he was panicking. "I know you and I are still kind of strangers right now…" He peered at me from his curled up position of torment. "But…do you think I could just stay in here with you for a little while?"

"Sure."

I put my hand on his back and rubbed between his bony shoulders in little circles, kind of instinctively. His shirt was damp where his hair had dripped. He shivered like the touch of another person right then was a lot to get accustomed to.

"You go ahead and stay," I said. "We'll just have a lazy Friday."

Maes nodded. His mouth quivered and I realized he was trying to smile. He gave up pretty soon and just hung his head again. I kept on rubbing his back. It kind of reminded me of how my mom would rub my back when I'd had stomach bugs as a kid. Suddenly rubbing his back seemed weird. I put my hand down on the edge of the tub next to me. Maes immediately picked it up.

"Can you not leave just yet?" he asked shakily. He held my hand kind of loose, but it was the firm kind of loose, not the unconfident kind of loose.

"I'm not leaving," I said.

He let go of my hand a little but I let my hand stay in his anyway to give him permission to keep holding it if he wanted. He stopped letting go and held on tighter. I got the sense he wasn't the type of person who told anybody about it when he got upset. I sort of understood that it wasn't a normal thing for him to be making himself vulnerable around people, and he was really trusting me right then in acting like a mess in front of me.

But seriously, I couldn't feel too special. Where else would he have gone than my room? Right then he was sharing a bunk-bed with one of Paninya's brats downstairs. Seclusion was one thing this giant house was short of.

"She showed him to me," said Maes.

I looked at him. His head was bowed and he was looking down at the tiled floor with his eyes bugged out like he was watching a massacre go down.

"Maes?"

"That mom showed me her baby," said Maes. "He looked at me. He had brown eyes."

I felt that crying sensation again all up in my eyes and my throat. "I'm sorry."

"This happens every once in a while. Someone hears a rumor about automail that can save lives." Maes took a shaky breath. "In the past my mom's always handled it. I've seen her turn so many people away. I never realized what it was like for her. We're telling people they're going to die."

I squeezed his hand instead of saying anything because I was afraid of saying something stupid.

"I told that mother her baby was going to die."

I nodded. I wouldn't dare open my big mouth.

Maes sat up just a little bit straight and looked down at me like he was really sorry for something even though he hadn't really done anything to me.

"I changed my mind," said Maes, breathing all shaky and junk. He scrunched his fingers around my hand like he was grabbing a teddy in the dark. "I'm not afraid of letting myself suffocate as my deepest fear. I'm afraid someday I'll look back and realize that the only person I was ever able to save was myself."


	17. Chapter 17: Lazy Freaking Friday

Author's Note: I'm updating in the middle of finals. I'm pulling all-nighters for this story. You better believe I'm dedicated!

mixmax300: Aw, amusement parks are great in the rain if there are water-rides (and there's no lightning)

Illovebooks: In my first fic, Nina was the illegitimate child of a couple from Drachma. Her father was on the research team for Flame Alchemy there and kind of tricked her mom into giving her up as a lab subject. Her mom died shortly after smuggling Nina to the Mustangs. Her dad's probably dead or locked up somewhere. It never goes into it. Hope that was helpful!

Takara Rose Oizumi: Aw, thanks bunches!

PhantomhiveHost: Enough said. *sniff*

RoseblossomWarrior: Awwww, you cried? Don't worry. What goes down will always bounce up again (when I'm writing it.)

Hawkstang: I have a hard time even thinking about kids getting hurt and dying. Notice I was vague on details about said baby. I just couldn't think like that to write it :(

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Chapter 17: Lazy Freaking Friday

It had been more or less two hours and Maes hadn't said basically anything at all. His shirt and hair had dried off a while ago and now he was just standing at the window and looking out the curtain at the dirty old town. At first I thought he might be people-watching, but then I noticed that the window had a view of nothing more than what looked kind of like a junkyard.

Paninya and the kids had woken up by then and she'd come on up and checked on us a couple times. I half wondered if she suspected the two of us were getting naughty together and she thought that was why I wouldn't open the door. I figured she could suspect what she wanted. Maes was a complete wreck and he seemed like the kind of guy who would've rather been gossiped about that actually had the truth passed around about him being all sad and junk.

I was alright just sitting around with him. I kind of just sat on the bed and read through some old magazines and local newspapers Paninya had left on the desk—Rush Valley was actually kind of interesting to read about. I was used to occupying myself for long stretches of time. My parents were pretty much always doing something without me and they hated it when I went out alone, so I knew how to pass time on my own.

"Hey, Maes?" I said, turning the page in a confusing automail catalogue. "Is it kind of shallow that I'm pretty much glad you're out of sorts today because now I don't have to scrub your damn automail parts for you?"

I heard him laughing from the window, kind of quiet, but still for real. I looked up at him. I felt pretty accomplished. I'd finally gotten a smile out of him.

"You sore from yesterday?" he asked.

"Mm, maybe a little. But it's not like I'm completely soft, you know? I'm not going to die after one day."

His eyes were soft on me. I kind of felt a blush coming on.

"Thank you for letting me stay here with you," he said. "I'm feeling better."

"No problem," I said. "I can't say I really did anything, but you're welcome."

Maes stepped away from the window. I sat up on the bed. "You leaving now?"

"I think I should," he said. He stopped at the foot of my bed. I could hear his boot tapping rhythmically against the leg of the wooden bedframe. "I don't want to set myself up for too many questions."

"Questions suck."

He chuckled to himself. "Yeah."

I nodded. He just pretty much stood there kicking the bedframe. He was looking at me that weird way, the way he had when he first saw me. It was like he was happy to see me for no real reason. I kind of felt like I was supposed to be acting like an amazing person all the sudden so the look on his face would make sense. My cheeks burned. I crawled off the bed.

"I should get out of here, too," I said. "It's been a couple hours."

Maes laughed. Then he got this frozen look and he reached into his pocket for his watch. He flipped it open. "Two hours?" He closed the watch with his head shaking side to side. "No way."

"Yeah, I could have told you that. Don't have to get all bent out of shape and start referencing your pocket watch."

He stopped kicking the bed. "You just sat there for two hours?"

He kind of already knew the answer to that. I shrugged. "I sat with you in the bathroom for the first twenty minutes."

"Nina, I am so sorry!"

I rolled my eyes. "Maes, you are so forgiven. Don't get dramatic on me. I'm hungry."

"But—"

"Hungry."

"Two hours?"

I cocked my hip and put my fist on the jutting bone. "It's not like you hurt my feelings or anything. Come on. You were upset and I had time to kill. Quit talking about it before you make me sound like there's something wrong with me for caring."

I expected him to smile after that. Smiling was something he pretty much usually did after I got preachy at him. But he didn't smile. I couldn't even tell if he was bothering to try. He stared at me with his hard gold eyes locked. I felt like I wasn't allowed to look away from him right then.

"Sorry," I said, because all I could think was that I'd said something offensive.

He shook his head. He just kept staring. I couldn't break eye contact. It just didn't seem right to. I noticed a crinkle in his smooth brow. Suddenly I pieced the expression together, more or less. He was trying to figure me out.

I frowned. He spoke over me. "You don't have to stay, you know?"

I didn't have to stay? This was my room! "You want me to go down on my own?" I cursed myself for flushing again.

"That's not it." He held my gaze. "I meant you don't have to stay in Rush Valley."

My frown kind of let up and my mouth and eyes got loose. "Am I that much trouble?"

"That's not it, Nina." He was actually looking a little bit angry. His mouth had gotten tighter when he talked. It looked good on him. "You're missing the point. Just listen. You're out of Central, right? That was the goal. You can go wherever you want, now. You're a big girl. You don't need me to chaperone you."

I caught myself sucking my lip. I spit it out and folded my arms. I walked a few steps closer to him so I could stare him down better. "I should kick you in the pants."

Maes's hard gaze scattered and he pretty much just looked startled.

I shook my head. "Do you have any idea how awkward this is for me now? You say all that crap out loud and how's it going to sound when I want to stay with you anyway? Just what the hell am I supposed to say?"

Now Maes's brow was seriously pinched up. "What?"

Now my face was really feeling hot. I could have punched him for making me embarrassed. "You made me tell you my biggest fear last night and then you started telling me you know all this junk about my secret alchemy. You seriously think I'm going to steal off to somewhere more glamorous after that?"

"You won't leave?"

"No!"

Maes didn't exactly smile this time either. He kind of did, looking relieved sort of, but mostly he just kind of sank in his boots like he was about to apologize over something.

"What the hell now?" I asked, kind of still pissy from him making me admit I wanted to stay out loud.

"It's nothing." He really was looking like he was sorry. It made me wonder if he'd done something I didn't know about.

"You sure?"

Maes put his hands in his pockets and stared out the window across the room. "My parents didn't want me leaving home until now because they were worried about me getting sick. I thought, since I knew how to do my own maintenance now, I'd be good on my own." Maes looked at me. He was actually pretty much smiling. "I'm sorry, Nina. You've kind of become my nurse." He still seemed kind of guilty, though.

I snorted. "That's freaking adorable."

I was kind of chuckling to myself, so I didn't really realize he'd gotten face to face with me until I was more or less staring straight into his chest with only half a foot between us. He looked down at me. He was too tall. I looked at his shirt, the way it kind of slid over his chest every time he breathed. I could see his automail flexing.

"You're not how I thought you'd be, Nina Mustang," he said.

I felt kind of warm again. "Oops?"

"You aren't even pretending, are you?" He looked pretty much amused. He held his chest. "You know what you're getting yourself into and you don't even care."

"I could say the same for you." He was making me sound silly.

His eyebrows suddenly turned from being amused to sad out of nowhere. He kind of actually looked a little scared. He clutched harder over his chest. "You really aren't going to leave?"

"No," I sighed, "not so much."

I felt his lukewarm touch on my bare elbow. It didn't really surprise me. We were pretty darn close to each other. I'd figured he'd gotten that close to take my hand again or something. I made the mistake up looking up. Maes met my eyes. His grin was kind of crooked in the mouth, but it suited him—his teeth square and pearly, his lips stretching and creasing when they came to the corners. He looked darn excited.

My arm tingled up and down to my shoulder and the tips of my fingers, like the whole arm had fallen asleep in a jolt. I swallowed. I'd seriously been expecting more of a pat on the back or something. Having a gentle hold on my arm and just not letting go for a while felt a little different to me.

"Maes?" it came out like a sort of hoarse whisper.

He put his other hand on my shoulder. I tried to make it look like I was breathing without having to think about it. I thought about stepping a little forward so there wouldn't be as much of a gap between us. That sounded like a good idea, but I couldn't make myself move.

Maes held my arms with his broad hands. His palms and fingers were kind of rough on my skin like they'd calloused a little here and there. I wondered for a second why I'd never noticed that before now.

"Nina…?" he said.

I looked at his eyes and found it in me to nod. He slid his hand off my elbow and hunched down to me a little. My heart skipped around. I had my eyes on his face, but I could sense his body stepping a little closer, leaning with his shoulders. I felt my weight kind of just go onto the balls of my feet. My toes splayed like they were ready to raise me.

I could see out of my peripheral, Maes's hand lifting toward my jaw, ready to take it and tilt it. I wondered if I was supposed to close my eyes. I wondered if I was supposed to stand on my toes for him. I wondered if I was supposed to hold him too. I wondered if I was supposed to hold him away.

Maes blinked slow. Something in his face changed, something pretty much subtle. Maybe it was his mouth. It got more uniform all the sudden. His hand stopped short of taking my face. He let his hand fall to take my hand instead. I felt the muscles in my neck burn and go kind of rigid as Maes let go of my shoulder, straightened his posture, and withdrew.

Maes held my leftover hand up, his eyes down on our feet. He breathed. He brought my hand on up to his lips and kissed the knuckles. I let my lungs expand. I'd been holding my breath. He let my hand lower with its own weight and he let go. I kind of shivered. All the patches where he'd touched felt cold now.

Maes met my eyes. His gaze was stiff like he was wearing a tight collar. I was sure I probably looked pretty similar. I could hear the kids running around and laughing downstairs.

Maes spoke up. "Thank you, Nina." His voice was low and suppressed.

"Don't…" I coughed to clear the break in my voice. "Don't worry about it." I coughed again for good measure.

"It's been a long morning," he said. He said it like an indirect apology. I wondered if I was supposed to say an indirect, 'You're forgiven.' His eyes darted to the door and soon he was turning away and heading for it.

He walked out with his boots clunking the floor like he was kind of stomping. I wondered if he was angry or if he wasn't paying attention to it. He passed into the hall and for a second I thought maybe he'd hold the door for me like a gentleman. But he up and shut it behind him.

I hurried over and caught the knob before it could latch, swinging the door back open. Maes stood back all pale like I'd surprised him. I let myself snort. "Where's your head at? I said I was hungry, didn't I?"

Maes was still for a second. I kind of wanted to tell him how uncomfortable the silent treatment made me. Then he smiled and it looked melty and real. I shut the door behind me and walked ahead of him a couple steps. He matched my pace. "I want to get out of Rush Valley," he said quietly, like he didn't want people to hear. "Soon."

"Sure." That didn't sound too bad.

"Is tonight okay with you?"

"Yep." I felt like a wimp for not admitting to him that I really didn't want to travel at night anymore with my hands prone to set stuff on fire in my sleep. I would've figured it was common sense.

He let me go down the stairs first. As I passed him, he gave me a smile that said everything was going to be okay, and I wondered for a moment why he hadn't just gone ahead and kissed me. I licked my lips, pursing them afterward, not so sure what I was supposed to do with them anymore.


	18. Chapter 18: Backstory Poem

**Author's Note: Well, I've been putting up a lot of "bonus" chapters over the past week because of finals, but my break kicks off tomorrow, so I'll be free to get back to the main plot more often. Meanwhile, enjoy this poem I created (kind of an abridged version of Flame Legacy's prequel, I guess). It sums it up pretty catchy.**

Illovebooks: To answer your question, I'd think the main reason Maes would want to leave Rush Valley would be because that lady with the sick baby is practically stalking him (and what kind of mom is EVER going to give up?) I think Maes just needs some air, y'know?

verry-chan: Wait, seriously? You had to level with someone and tell them there was no hope? I've had to say some heavy stuff, but nothing close to that. When in doubt, pretend it's not happening; that's my unhealthy way.

RoseblossomWarrior: I guarantee Nina has had suitors. Selim Bradley is mentioned particularly early on. I haven't gone too into it, but it's kind of implied she's never had anything serious with anyone. You're right about Maes. He's still kind of young to have seriously dated, plus he spent a good part of his adolescence focusing on not dying, so he wouldn't have had the time for girls. It kind of speaks for itself that he would've had a lot of female friends, though (or females who wanted to be his friends XP)

Takara Rose Oizumi: Aw, you guys are getting all excited about what's happening. You're making me feel bad for not posting proper chapters quicker and just making you settle with random OVAs and bonus junk. I'll give you some more plot-oriented stuff soon! Don't worry!

mixmax300: Really, 21 yrs old and 18 yrs old isn't that big a difference. Once I started college I stopped even caring about people's' exact ages. But, thinking back to how vulnerable and naiive I was at 18 as opposed to how I am now, Maes really would depend on Nina for guidance, even though he's been taking the reigns on most of it so far. It makes sense that he'd act like a child sometimes :)

PhantomhiveHost: Ha! I love your reaction. I gotta say, that cut-short kiss attempt was fun to choreograph in my writing. Almost as fun as writing full kisses ;P

Hawkstang: I should give Maes haunting nightmares of Mustang creeping up on him and burning him alive at random. Foreshadowing? Hahaha

* * *

**Chapter 18: Babysitting the Boss Guy in Verse: A Backstory Poem for Flame Legacy**

There once was Roy Mustang and his Lieutenant, Hawkeye.

She'd vowed to be loyal even if she might die.

She kept her eyes on him whenever she was able,

But one day he got shot and passed out on her table.

She dug out the bullets and stitched where he bled.

She grabbed some fake names and took him and fled,

Because the people that shot him would shoot him again

If Roy didn't accept his career had to end.

They bumped into Fullmetal while riding the train.

He worried for their safety, but his presence was in vain.

He said he was sorry, but he couldn't risk dying.

Helping Mustang was dangerous. Ed couldn't bear Winry crying.

Besides, he was useless with his automail broken.

His alchemy gone. His name too widely spoken.

He'd put Roy's life in danger as well as his own.

Ed said goodbye, leaving Roy and Riza alone.

Riza took her Colonel to a cottage and nursed him to health.

The female neighbors all pestered, wanting Roy for themselves.

It wouldn't have bothered Riza as much as it did

If the Colonel and her hadn't been fake newlyweds.

They knew it was fake, but the townspeople did not.

Roy acted quite clueless. He kept acting hot.

Riza finally had it at a party one night.

She kissed her dear Colonel in the village spotlight.

He took her home. She seemed very shaken.

Her dress showed her back's scars. Her sweater'd been taken.

Roy apologized, said he was sorry again,

For burning off the notes, for causing her pain.

He said it would blow over and she smacked his face.

She walked away crying. He stood in his place.

Riza woke up that night to the sound of his yells.

He'd been dreaming of Ishval, of his living hell.

She said she was sorry and he said he was too.

He said her back was damn sexy, even scarred through and through.

They ate breakfast the next morning, altogether at peace,

Until Roy brought up the kiss, "Tell me why. Tell me please."

Riza ruined an opportunity, a shot at redemption,

By using the excuse, "It was to get your attention."

"Well, you got it," he said. And that should have been the end.

But Roy seemed unsettled. It was too hard to pretend.

"Do you want to do it again?" Riza said very plain.

He said, "Yeah," kissed her mouth, and then kissed it again.

He proposed, she said yes. They no longer had to pretend

That they were happily married when they were really just friends.

They showed each other off and had lots of fun,

And then they made love when their "wedding" was done.

And then eight days later, their honeymoon closed

When a little girl showed up at their door and a new threat was posed.

They called her Nina. She had Flame Alchemy and they knew she'd be chased,

So they left their cottage, ran away from that place.

They were pursued as they escaped and Riza was shot.

Roy dug out the bullet, but infection spread through the spot.

Things got worse and worse until Riza was dying.

She said her goodbyes. Roy couldn't help crying.

Then Nina ran up and she clapped her hands so they glowed red.

She healed Riza's arm with her own life force, then slept like she was dead.

The Mustangs pressed on, not knowing what to do.

They ran into Nina's real mother, who gave them a clue

Before dying and leaving Nina under the Mustangs' permanent care.

Roy and Riza loved Nina. To have her die seemed unfair.

So, Roy opened the Gate, intent to save Nina's life.

Riza jumped through instead. Roy would now lose his wife.

But Riza talked to the Truth and the Truth Guy agreed

That if Flame Alchemy research ended, Nina was freed.

So, Riza gave to the gate what was left of the tattoo.

She woke up in Central Hospital and Roy and Nina were there, too.

Nina was saved. Fire alchemy was gone.

Roy and Nina had theirs still because their Doors would go on.

But they would be the only Fire Alchemists to ever be made,

And suddenly Riza wasn't quite so afraid.

They lived as a family together in Central.

They shared their joys and they shared their struggles.

And all because Riza wouldn't leave Roy's side.

To the very end, even if she might die.

…

When Nina couldn't have been any older than three,

Her parents took her out to Resembool to see

Edward and Winry and their new baby, Maes.

"He's the best ever!" Nina squealed when she saw the boy's face.

"Maes is pretty," she said. Roy got nervous about Nina and boys.

Maes lay in Nina's tiny arms, from his first hours bringing her joy.


	19. Chapter 19: Train-time Bonding

Author's Note: I got published this morning for the first time ever. I am so pumped! Now that I'm on break, I can finally write this fic like it isn't work. Yay for writing!

RoseblossomWarrior: Aw, I was worried someone might induce spoilers upon themselves :S

PhantomhiveHost: I know, right? The poem wrote itself. Usually I kind of hate poetry that rhymes, but that was super fun to write!

mixmax300: I didn't realize Babysitting the Boss Guy had such a clear plotline with the rising action, climax, falling action, blah blah blah. That poem was dang fun to write, haha.

Shan-Shan XP: Aw, you read the whole thing? That's so cool! I reread some random chapters to myself about a week ago and I was like "oh, crud! my writing sucked!" haha. Oh, and I totally get the thing with wind. I've got some wind outside my window right now. I've got shutters and a tree directly in front of my upstairs window. It IS scary.

Hawkstang: "Roy Mustang: If your heart burns for his daughter, he will burn you to hell." I need to make bumperstickers...

otakgirlyy: Oh gosh! I hadn't seen any reviews from you for a few days until now. I'll bet the site's been glitching with your posts. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you pop up in a while. Glad you're back!

* * *

Chapter 19: Train-time Bonding

We got on the train around six that evening. Maes didn't really talk to me about where I wanted to go this time. He just wanted to go. I figured he was nervous that the mom with the sick baby would confront him again. Plus, he'd given the kids their tune-ups and apparently there wasn't much else to do in Rush Valley after that.

Paninya hadn't really registered in her brain that I was the Fuhrer's daughter until about five minutes before me and Maes had to go. What had been sad was it took Maes calling me by my full name in front of her for her to catch on. She'd said I looked different from the papers in person.

"What's the son of a has-been alchemist doing with Nine Mustang?" Paninya had asked, kind of ranting because she felt silly for only just realizing.

"Hey," Maes had replied, "take it easy on the 'has-been alchemist' remarks." Maes always got more stubborn-acting when he talked about his dad. It was pretty much cute.

I'd told Paninya that Nina Mustang was just along for the ride.

The kids had really been sorry to see Maes go. Duh. Some had even started wailing and junk. Some had actually seemed sad to see me go as well. Kate had not been among those 'some.' Although, she hadn't seemed happy to see me going with Maes. I'd wondered how she'd react when Paninya spilled to them who I was. Little Sarah had actually hugged me goodbye. She'd already considered me a princess to begin with.

Maes hefted his packed-up giant suitcase onto the train then put out his hand for me like a gentleman. I grabbed it and he walked me to the back like where we'd sat before. The train car was empty besides us for then. I could kind of feel the callouses on his hand as it held mine. I wondered where he'd gotten them. I remembered how his breath had felt warm on my knuckles when he'd kissed my hand that morning. I started trying to imagine how it would have felt if he'd been kissing my mouth instead.

"Nina," Maes said, "you can sit down now."

I realized his hand was slack, not exactly holding mine anymore, and I wondered how long he'd had it like that. I released him and scooted into the wooden booth-seat at the back of the train, seating myself next to the window this time. I plopped my backpack on the floor. Maes sank down next to me and plunked his suitcases with my bag.

"Long day," he said. Yeah, that was definitely what he'd said after not kissing me.

"Yep," I said, my face burning. I didn't care if I was blushing so much right then. I counted half of it as reaction to pure frustration.

"Do you want to sleep?"

"Nope." It wasn't even getting dark yet.

The train closed its doors and whistled screechy.

"I can hold your hands for you again if you need me too," Maes said. He had his voice kind of low like there were actually other people in the train car to eavesdrop.

"I'm good," I said. "I got my band-aids with me."

"Oh, that's right," he said, leaning back in his seat as the train chugged forward. "You've used those to cover the scars."

"Yeah, well, gloves make my hands sweat if I wear them all night. Band-aids get the job done just fine."

"I see." I wondered if he was disappointed. I wondered if he'd been set on holding my hands for me. I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the band-aids.

"Do you want to sleep?" I asked.

"It's not even dark yet."

I laughed. "Dork. What'd you ask _me_ for?"

"You look tired." He didn't say it in his usual way that made it not offensive.

"You worried?" I asked, kind of wondering why he was bothered that I looked tired.

"I don't know." He said it like he really didn't know. "Do you still have trouble sleeping like you did when you were little?"

"It's relative. It's not like I've ever slept any different. Not that I can remember."

"You have nightmares?"

"Enough to make me set things on fire in my sleep." I caught a look in his eye. "Oh, come on, Maes. Don't get worked up on my sleeping patterns. I sleep fine, okay? A couple bad dreams every night never hurt anybody."

"But it sure doesn't sound fun."

I sucked me lip.

"Sorry," he said. "I guess you deal with it enough at night. You don't want to talk about it during the day."

I knew it was kind of a goofy reaction, but I couldn't help from smiling. He'd more or less hit that nail right on the head. "Dang, I wish my folks would say that to me in the morning."

"I need to call _my_ folks," he said, like he'd forgotten. "Remind me when we get to Dublith. I promised I'd call every day and I forgot to this morning. Dad said he'd jump on a train and come looking for me if I missed two calls in a row. He swore he was serious when he said it, too."

"I've heard of Dublith," I said. I'd heard a little from Elysia, mostly. "I heard it's quaint."

"It is," said Maes. "Very peaceful. Very accommodating. I used to go to the children's hospital there a lot when I was a kid."

"So, you must know a lot of people, right? You going to visit?"

"Well, no. A lot of them are dead now seeing as I spent most of my time on the floor for kids with terminal illnesses."

I hadn't seen that one coming. I kind of felt like a total ass. I must have shown something on my face, because Maes nudged me with his elbow and smiled like he was over it. "Don't worry. I may not have an abundance of hospital-friends in Dublith, but I do have some family living there."

"Family?" I said. "Like cousins?" After Kate, I wasn't wild about the idea of staying in a house full of kids that loved Maes and hated me again.

Maes shook his head. "We'll stay with Grandma and Sig."

I stared blank at him. "Grandma…and Sig?"

"I guess I'd call them my grandparents."

"You guess?"

Maes grinned like he was amused at me acting skeptical. "My family is made of a lot of broken families put together. After my dad's parents were gone, Grandma and Sig Curtis looked after him and my uncle for a while. My dad doesn't like to say it out loud, but I can tell he thinks of them as his second parents sometimes."

"So, they automatically became your grandparents?"

"Well, actually, that was my decision." His eyes got fun. "I don't really remember since I was so young when it started, but I called Mrs. Curtis 'Grandma' without any prompting, so they tell me. She and Sig could never have their own babies, so when my mom and dad had me, they took advantage of it." Maes laughed, running his hand over his face in a sweep. "I remember after Sophie was born. Grandma and Sig stayed with us to help Mom out. Oh, gosh. Mom was happy, but Dad got so bent out of shape! Grandma was hogging Sophie so much that Dad was worried Sophie would start thinking Grandma was her dad."

I giggled. "They sound sweet."

"The sweetest."

"So, where'd you come up with 'Sig' as the grandpa-name?"

"Oh, no, Sig isn't a pet-name. His name really is Sig Curtis. That's all he goes by."

"You call your grandfather-like-figure by his first name?"

"Yeah, everyone calls him Sig. They don't even say 'Mr. Curtis' or 'Mr. Sig.' Just 'Sig.'"

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped in mock-horror. "For shame!"

Maes didn't get the joke. At all. He didn't even smile, just looked incredibly confused.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm twenty-one years old and I still call most adults Mister and Misses—even ones my own age. Damn Fuhrer's-daughter thing's made me so damn respectful. Screw propriety. I want to be like you. I want to call old people by their first names!"

Maes looked pretty much pumped in the moment with me. "Do it."

I laughed because I knew I didn't really plan on calling old people by their first names at all. It was just funny to think about. It wasn't like I had any grandparents of my own to speak of, but I really doubted I would have called them by their first names. Maes was pretty much a weirdo on that front.

"They'll like you," said Maes, calming a little. "They knew your dad. They liked him."

"They knew my dad?" I wasn't all that shocked. My dad knew a lot of people he didn't tell me about.

Maes nodded slowly. "They knew him a little. Not as much as my dad did."

Well, that had been implied. "How do they know my dad?" I asked. "Did your dad introduce them?"

"Grandma and Sig helped the good guys win on the Promised Day. They fought at Uncle Roy's side to hold off the evil." Maes sat back and smirked. "Then everyone stepped back and watched my dad singlehandedly save the world." Maes was smiling super big now, looking up at the ceiling like he was having visions. "God, I wish I could have seen him back when he could still transmute."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I felt stupid because I felt like he was talking about it casually because he assumed I knew.

Maes looked at me, the smile gone. He sat up straight. "They didn't tell you about that?"

"About what?"

"The Promised Day."

"Sounds like a wedding anniversary."

Maes looked a little stunned at first, but then he got this eventual flicker in his eyes and I wondered what would come next. "Nina, this train ride is going to be fairly long. Would you like me to tell you a story to pass the time?"

"Why are you talking so formal all the sudden?" I felt a little handled.

"Because," said Maes, leaning to speak clear to my face, "I want to make sure you want to know."


	20. Chapter 20: Stuff I Hadn't Expected

Author's Note: I'm my sister's date at prom tomorrow! I was overseas for my prom, so I'm reliving the milestone, baby! That said, I'm sensing a really short post tomorrow. Just a heads-up.

'Guest' (verry-chan, haha): Maes is funny. He has no boundaries (or, "different" boundaries).

PhantomhiveHost: Now, if only Maes would get a clue and then we'd be golden.

RoseblossomWarrior: Yep, I got published in my college literary magazine. It looks darn good on a résumé, haha. Oh, gawsh, I hated SATs. I don't know of any SAT-fans out there.

mixmax300: I love Izumi and Sig! They're my favorites!

Illovebooks: Read on and find out :D

Shan-Shan XP: Haha! I can imagine Maes getting thrown. He'd probably be like, "Wow, Grandma! You've got a really good arm for your age. I'll bet they'd look great in strapless gowns!"

SavFFlover: Thanks! I've tried to update every day and it's actually worked out so far (though I have lost a lot of sleep...).

Hawkstang: I feel like Maes is "out there" enough to where he'd offer to hold Roy's hands too if he needed it, haha.

otakgirlyy: Yeah, I got published in my college magazine. It's not in bookstores or anything. But you should totally start writing. The best writers are people who read. The more you practice, the better you'll get. Promise :)

* * *

Chapter 20: Some Stuff I Hadn't Expected

Every step in the 'Promised Day' story branched into five more stories I hadn't been told. Maes was pretty darn patient and kept backtracking to fill me in on all the premise before moving on to the next step. At first I guessed I could kind of make sense of what he was telling me, but then it just got ridiculous. There was so much that I apparently didn't know that it got to the point where it all just turned surreal. It became really just a story.

But Maes stuck with me and told me to hang in there, because he said it would be better if I just heard it all at once so I could have all the facts before I started brooding over it myself. It was four solid hours before I finally said, "What, seriously? You saying my dad actually used one of those God-awful things to get his sight back? Like hell! He wouldn't do that. You're sick, Maes."

Maes was calm like a therapist or something. I'd been to my share of therapists. "My dad wasn't too happy about it either," he said. "But the stone was already made. There was no way to take it back. The most Marcoh could do for the souls he sacrificed to make it was to use their energy for good purposes. Uncle Roy was an extremely capable man and with his stubborn heart for Ishval, he stood a good chance of being the one to get the Ishvalan people back on their feet. Marcoh couldn't think of a better way to honor the souls in the philosopher's stone than to use them to restore their broken people. Even Scar agreed in the end that it had been the right move."

"That angry Ishvalan killer guy?" I asked, kind of freaked. "No way."

"Your father had Ishval's territory repaired and its people compensated for the crimes against them within four years. He'd purposely put himself, your mother, and all the other Amestrian 'heroes' who fought in the war on trial as war criminals. Honestly, Nina, your father knowingly risked the penalty of execution for the sake of giving Ishval their overdue justice. In the end, it worked out for the better, obviously. The Ishvalans had always been a peaceful people and they didn't like the idea of their most self-sacrificing advocates being locked up or put to death. Of anyone in Amestris, I think the Ishvalans were the ones who wanted your father as Fuhrer the most. They knew they wouldn't have to fear another King Bradley regime as long as your dad was in control. That's why Scar was at peace with Marcoh's decision." Maes smiled like he was looking back. "Honestly, I think Scar probably just would've rather had the stone used for his people than to heal sick Amestrians, if you get me." Maes laughed.

"Yeah, back to Fuhrer King Homunculus…" I wrinkled my nose. "You weren't serious about Selim being one of those freaky creatures, were you?"

"I already told you I was."

"But, he's my friend."

"Yes," said Maes. "My dad was friends with a homunculus during the conspiracy."

"That 'Greed' fella?"

Maes nodded. "And then he has a friend in Xing who's a homunculus."

"The 'emperor' fella."

Maes nodded.

"Selim's so cool, though. Maybe a little dramatic sometimes, but he's way human. I don't believe it."

"No matter how much the homunculi tried to raise themselves above humans," said Maes, "no matter how much they tried to deny the truth, they were very much humans themselves. That was one thing my dad was sure of. They weren't monsters. Some of them just tried to be. It's the same as any human. It's a choice."

"So, Selim doesn't secretly want to murder me in my sleep, right?"

Maes laughed. "I think that's between you and him, Nina."

My cheeks got a little warm. "Yeah, yeah. You had me scared for a moment there. Most of those homunculi you described earlier sounded damn evil."

"They had daddy-issues."

Yeah, well, it wasn't like poor Selim didn't. I wondered if he even knew what his dad had been like, or what _he_ had been like. I mean, it wasn't like Mrs. Bradley had been completely informed.

It was like Maes read my mind. "I wouldn't bring it up around him, by the way. When you get back home. I think he would have noticed he's a little different than most of his peers, but I'm not sure how much further his understanding goes from that."

He kind of lost me a little at, 'when you get back home.' I was starting to wonder what that even meant. I wondered if Maes even planned on coming back with me. I wondered if he planned on coming back at all.

"Hey!" he said, leaning over me to stare out the pitch dark window. "We're here."

"Oh, yeah," I said. "I'm supposed to remind you to call your parents."

"Wow, it's late!" he laughed, grabbing his suitcases as the train slowed to a hissing stop. "They're going to think something's wrong."

Maes found a payphone at the station as soon as he got off. He said the Curtises wouldn't want to share him when we got there so it wasn't likely he'd get a chance to call on their phone. I waited outside the booth with our stuff and totally eavesdropped.

"Hi, Sophie, it's Maes…" He got kind of a half-smile. "…Sorry. I'm fine. I just got distracted."

Yeah. Distracted. That's what we'd call it for now.

"Can I talk to Mom? Yeah, love you too, sis." There was a pause. "Hey, Mom! Did I wake you?" His eyes widened. "No, I'm fine. Go to bed, already. I just got distracted and got on a train before I could call…Dublith…Yeah." There was another pause, a longer one. Then Maes smiled like he wanted to laugh. "Hi, Dad, how's the weather down there?" Maes went ahead and laughed. "Sorry, no, that was mean. I still haven't gotten any rain since I left. Going north is great during storm season. We should try it more often."

Yeah, sure he hadn't gotten any rain. I wondered if he'd mentioned the fact that we'd outrun it back at Central.

"I'm about to go visit Grandma…Yep, I'll tell her." Maes raised his eyebrows. "Well, actually, I'm not so sure about that. I didn't come alone."

Whoa. He hadn't told them about me yet? Freakishly weird. Although, this was Maes. He had freakishly weird reasoning.

"Nina…" he said. He nodded. "Yeah, that Nina." The phone blared inaudibly for a second, but not exactly angrily. Maes laughed like he meant it. "I know, right? He wants to set the two of us on fire!" Maes laughed again. "No, she wanted to come. Seriously." Maes looked over at me. "No, better." He smiled, but he wasn't smiling at me. "Well, I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted to take her down for a detour to meet you in person…Dad, they never told her anything…Because I don't tell it as good as you do."

I realized Maes didn't plan on our little journey ending any time soon. I realized that was exactly what I'd wanted to hear. I realized there was more than just one reason for that.

Maes's expression dropped on his face. His eyes looked to the side like he was pretty much averting his gaze from his dad like his dad was right in front of him. He put his fingers on his chest and rubbed it. "Yeah, that too." He took a breath. "Don't worry. A little rain never hurt anybody." Maes smiled, but this time a little weak. "It's like you used to tell me and Sophie. It's just not fun, that's all…What, Nina? No, she hasn't." Maes nodded. "Yeah, Dad. I'll tell her. Alright, I'll call tomorrow. You know the number…bye."

Maes hung up with a heavy click.

"It's all good?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's all good. Just a lot of storms in Resembool lately. Dad wants me to try to wait them out before we head down there."

"Sounds pretty darn wise," I said, thinking back to Maes leaving Central Station with it barely sprinkling a mile away.

"My dad wanted me to tell you to call your parents," said Maes.

"Why?"

"He knows they'll worry."

I felt frowny all over. "I'm a big girl. I'll call them when I want."

Maes shrugged. "You don't have to listen to my dad. He's a fellow father. He's sensitive to this kind of thing, that's all."

"Whatever." I found myself folding my arms like I was plenty ready to argue. "You know, your dad can butt out. He doesn't even know my dad anymore."

Maes darkened. "That was never his fault, Nina." His voice was low and articulate. It wasn't really very much like him, the way he said it. I sucked my lip.

"Yeah," I said, kind of quiet. "Sure, Maes. I know."

"No one made my dad to look out for Mustang," he said. His eyes had narrowed. His stare had gotten cold. "He didn't have to tell you to call. He doesn't have to do anything for you."

"You're right."

His shoulders had gotten all tight and his breathing had gotten kind of harsher. "He shouldn't have to anything for any of us."

"Okay. Understood."

Maes kept his eyes cold on me for a moment, but then I must have shown something in my face because his brow crinkled and his shoulders melted a little. He sighed, his eyes getting soft and apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"No, I get it," I said, pretty much relieved he'd apologized, because that meant I wasn't walking on thin ice with him anymore. "No more saying stuff about 'Daddy.' I'll keep my mouth shut from now on, sound good?"

Maes smiled faint like he was sad but something about me had still made him happy. "Thanks. I'll do the same for you." He leaned down and lifted his suitcases. He paused when he came up. He looked at me. "Nina?"

"Yeah, what?"

He looked at the ground for a moment like he was hesitating or something. He looked back at me. With the moonlight bouncing off him, he looked completely pale. "Sometimes it really is better when they don't tell you everything." He turned, gripping his suitcase-handles tighter than really necessary. I watched his back, his shoulder-blades tense and flexing under his ugly red trench-coat. "Let's go." And he started walking without looking to see if I was there behind him.


	21. Chapter 21: To Grandma's House We Go

Author's Note: So, I actually wrote a lot after prom (prom was AMAZING!), but as a price, I'm way too tired to edit, so there are probably a lot of ugly mistakes all through this chapter. Just read around them :)

mixmax300: Yep, I always saw Maes as a real advocate for 'family' (kind of like the orginal Maes, haha). And I was slapped around all over the place when I was a kid, which was why I was okay with making Roy half-slap Nina. I don't see him as abusive, but a smack was needed. I guess I was just desensitized.

PhantomehiveHost: Well, he met her parents already, haha.

Shan-Shan XP: Etremes? Nicely put. I feel the same. I was kind of sheltered as a kid and then my youngest brother really hasn't been. We're different, but both of us have struggled. ACL? Do you do sports, then?

Hawstang: Hahaha! You're so right. Aw, you don't like hugs. I had a really good friend like that in high school. What really sucks is I'm a serious hugger, but I'm so freakin ticklish that I can't hug people without spazzing. I'm not even kidding :S

: Yeah, I'd be calling my parents three times a day, haha. I'd be worried about THEM.

verry-chan: I'm looking forward to writing all the "Ed" scenes XP

RoseblossomWarrior: Congrats on getting through your SAT! And you feel like you did well? That's so awesome!

Harryswoman: You're right. Elrics are gentlemen (all in their own ways, I guess). But Mustang can be an idiot with all his opinions and junk. Poor jerk. Haha

* * *

Chapter 21: To Grandma's House We Go

Maes kicked the base of the door with his boot three times, like a pounding knock. It was pretty much past ten at night. I figured old people needed sleep. I felt more or less awful about having to wake them up.

"Don't they have a key under the mat or something?" I asked, keeping my voice down in the darkness.

"I have one on my ring, I guess," said Maes, looking at me over his shoulder. "But, don't worry. They're home. They'll let us in."

"That's not what I meant."

From behind the door I could hear muffled shouting, a woman's sharp and irritated voice. It got louder and more audible as she approached the knob.

"I'll kill them!" she said. "Whatever idiots decided it was a good idea to knock on this door, I'll kill them!"

I stepped back. She didn't sound like a grandma to me at all. I wondered if we'd gotten the wrong house. But Maes was standing his ground with a freaking smile across his face. The lights at the front of the house flickered on. The door flung open in front of us, slamming against the side of the house. I flinched. Maes dropped his bags and stepped into the doorway.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the woman shouted. I saw her in the light of the hallway. She was wearing a pale purple robe and slippers like a classic housewife. She was kind of tall with jet black dreads all tied up at the back of her head. She was pretty much drop-dead gorgeous for a so-called grandma. She was pretty darn feisty, too. She had some greys and some crow's feet around her eyes, but you couldn't really tell with her eyes all fired up and her back held straight and angry. Behind her stood a girthy guy with a fantastic mustache in boxer shorts and not much else.

I shuffled back a little more. Maes stepped toward them with a cheesy grin all over his face. He stepped into the light coming out from the hallway. "Hey, Grandma. Hi, Sig. I missed you."

The woman's fierce gaze fell with a plop. Her shoulders relaxed and she put her arms out. Maes walked into them. She was suddenly all smiles. The bulky dude behind her looked dang happy, too. He looked kind of cool with his mustache turned up from smiling along with his wife. I gulped, kind of wondering if this was how they treated family, or if this was just the 'Maes' effect.

"Maes," said Grandma, her voice getting all gooey and junk, "we missed you, too." She let go of him and stepped back to get a better look. "Oh, God! Honey, he grew again."

"I don't doubt it," said the big guy, who I was assuming was Sig.

"You guys saw me two weeks ago," Maes said, chuckling contagiously. He looked way happier than he had back at the phone booth. I kind of felt like that might have been my own damn fault.

"Doesn't matter at your age," said Grandma.

"Seemed like I was growing another inch every day," said Sig, looking proud and nostalgic.

"I don't doubt it," said Maes, kind of serious.

"So, who's your friend?" asked Grandma.

I froze in the dark. Maes glanced back at me. "She's my travel-buddy." He nodded for me to get over there.

I stepped into the light, pulling my backpack more onto my shoulder so it wouldn't slip off while I shook the grandparents' hands. Grandma eyed me kind of clinically, but with an edge.

"I'm Nina," I said, shoving my hand in front of her. "Nice to meet you, Grandma."

Sig kind of gulped. Grandma stiffened, her eyes narrowing, going back to that fierceness from before. "Do I look old to you?"

"I don't know," I said, kind of nervous because she totally looked willing and able to beat me up. "Grandma's coma all ages these days, you know?" She wasn't shaking my hand, so I shoved it closer to her. According to Maes, this was how normal girls said 'hello.' "What, you don't shake hands? Because, I'm completely cool with doing the cheek-to-cheek kiss thing if that's what you're used to. God knows I never used to shake hands before I left with this guy." I pointed my thumb at Maes. He laughed the laugh he did when I acted ignorant.

Grandma wasn't exactly amused. She folded her arms. "You're Mustang's girl."

I smiled big, putting my hand away. "You got it on the first try!"

"What other 'Nina' would Maes waste his time with?"

"Izumi," said Sig, coming to her side.

Grandma sighed and patted his hand. "You're right, darling. Poor Maes must be exhausted." She was suddenly all smiley again. "Maes, why don't you come in and I'll get you some tea. Are you hungry?" She led the way into the house. "There's some beef stew leftover from dinner, but I can make you something fresh if you had something in mind."

"It's the middle of the night," said Maes, filing in behind her. Sig held the door. "I don't want you on your feet while the rest of Dublith is asleep."

I came to the doorway. I looked up at Sig and kind of missed my old guard-buddy Phil for a second. "So, I'm assuming I'm allowed to come in, too?"

Sig nodded. "Don't let her kill you." He had kind of shine to his eyes that made it pretty much obvious that he was in love with the fact that his wife had a terrifying temper.

I came in and Sig closed the door behind me. I followed Maes and Grandma's voices into the parlor area. They were still chatting standing up, the dweebs. Maes had put his bags next to the coffee table to I put my backpack with them.

"Wow, Grandma, look at your hair!" said Maes, untucking a salt-and-pepper dread-lock from behind her ear. "It's so silver here. It looks like moon beams in a black sky."

I was kind of prepared for her to get offended by that, but it didn't really surprise me when she smiled and cupped her hand on Maes's cheek for saying it.

"Thank you, darling," she said. "I'm glad you like it. What would you like in your tea?"

As I listened to them chat and kind of noticed Grandma blatantly ignoring me besides the occasional hateful glare, I sort of realized Maes got away with everything. Even with me. It suddenly seemed unfair that my parents were the only people I'd met so far who didn't exactly approve of him. Completely not fair at all.

"Nina?" said Grandma. I refocused my gaze onto her. She had her back to me and she was heading out from the parlor. "Come help me with the tea."

I kind of just wanted to sleep. "Yeah, sure."

Maes plunked himself down on a comfy looking sofa. Lucky.

Grandma led me to the kitchen and made me wash out a crusty teapot in the sink even though I saw, like, two clean ones on display on her shelves. Part of me wondered if she'd been curious if Fuhrers' daughters eve knew how to wash dishes.

"Be sure to use hot water," she said.

"Yeah, I got it." The way she looked at me after that kind of made me wish I'd just let her tell me what to do.

I washed the pot pretty dang good, but I didn't get obsessive over it, because I figured she'd want to find something wrong with it so she could tell me to wash it again. She did.

She was handing it back to me to wash when she got up close to my ear and said low and quiet, "If you hurt Maes, I'll transmute your face off your body and sell it as dog food."

I swallowed. I cleared my throat. I looked at her. "That sounds fair enough, because if Maes hurts me, my daddy's going to snap his fingers and burn Maes alive." I smiled and shrugged. "Equivalent exchange, am I right?"

Grandma blinked. I got back to re-washing the damn teapot. Grandma grabbed the sudsy pot and rinsed it under the tap. "It's clean."

"I know," I said.

"Why are you traveling together?"

"Maes said he'd take me, so I went."

Grandma was drying the pot with a cup-towel now. "From what Ed's told me, I'm surprised your father let you go."

I hated how much everyone assumed I'd actually asked for my dad's opinion on this one. "So, you really like Maes, huh?"

Grandma set the pot on the counter gently. "He's our miracle."

"Because he's made it through all that stuff with his lungs?"

But she shook her head. She went to the cupboard and grabbed some tea bags that looked kind of herbal. Good for the middle of the night, I figured. "Maes is…Well, he's Maes."

Strangely enough, I knew what she was saying. I guessed he was kind of a miracle in general, if you thought about it right. Although, I was just going to say he was a complete oddball. But, 'miracle' worked too.

Grandma looked a little distant. "Usually I don't take kindly to strangers in my house." She looked at me. "But, I'll have to give you a chance. After all, you must really be something special for Maes to be so in love with you."

I dried my hands really rough on my dress. "You're not one of those crotchety old match-making types, are you?"

Her eyes widened like the devil was about to walk out them. "What did you just call me?"

"Lady," I said, chuckling kind of nervous but kind of for real as well. "I met Maes less than a week ago. Officially, I mean. Technically, I met him when he was a baby, but neither of us really remembers that, so…"

She stopped being scary. She looked all surprised and blank now. "Yes," she said. "I don't see that the Fuhrer would tolerate his daughter associating with Maes much longer than a few days before she would have to leave."

"Exactly right." I sucked my lip. I stopped sucking because it reminded me of kissing.

Grandma lit the fire under the kettle and stepped back. Her brow was knit like she was thinking over some junk. "I wonder what could be bothering him."

"Huh?"

Grandma folded her arms, but not like she was mad. It was like she was giving herself a hug. "Maybe he's just tired." She shook her head. "I've never seen him like this. I was so sure it was you."

"What?" I thought back to the small list Maes had given of people who'd seen his automail. Grandma was not on it. I thought back to the sick baby in Rush Valley. I thought back to the phone booth and him getting snippy over his dad. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," said Grandma. "I've never seen him look so lost."


	22. Chapter 22: Grandma Alchemist Really?

Author's Note: Short chapter again. I've spent my Sunday sleeping off prom (I wasn't intoxicated. I just danced a lot and then stayed up with my sis and friends all night afterward.)

Illovebooks:Oh, I totally get what you mean about it being hard to update all the time. Actually, updating every day has been my personal project. I'm doing it so far and it's been 22 days :)

Shan-Shan XP: At this point, Nina's just been writing herself. Yeah, I knew a bit about the whole ACL business. My uncle has all kinds of knee issues. I hope you recover really fast. It's way cool you're so athletic. I suck at sports. Even tag XP

Harryswoman: My sister and I were talking about how Nina would handle having her dad and Maes in the same room, and she'd totally dump water on him at the doorway, haha!

DanniMaeAnime92: Thanks for reading and commenting! I can't wait for my summer to free up more so I can write longer chapters.

Hawkstang: Nina really can hold her own, haha.

otakgirlyy: Yes, this is Maes's first time out alone. You were right, haha. And every character I write has a personality inspired by other people (usually a lot of people combined in my subconscious). So, in a sense, there's gotta be a couple Maeses out there somewhere, haha.

verry-chan: Well, Izumi is a housewife, after all, haha. Maes doesn't even realize how nice she is to him compared to how she is with everyone else (Ed)!

Lalala: I'm so psyched about NinaxMaes. It's so funny reading all the reviews with people wanting them to pick up pace. Don't you worry. It'll come.

RoseblossomWarrior: I always imagined Ed and Al having kids and bringing them to Dublith and Izumi and Sig kidnapping the kids or something like that. That's the only reason they looked after Ed and Al. So they could kidnap their kids someday.

mixmax300: There are some people who are just hard to get angry at. One of my younger brothers is like that. Me and the rest of my family fight all over the place, but he just comes in and smiles and no one can get angry at him. He's great.

PhantomhiveHost: I am not one to judge when it comes to 'sleepy posts.' Haha

* * *

Chapter 22: Grandma Alchemist. Really?

My body jolted when I woke up, so hard my shoulders and chest prickled. I sat up fast to get a look at my hands. Good. None of the band-aids had peeled off. No smoke. I hadn't set anything on fire.

I let my head fall back heavy on my pillow. Maes had opted to take the couch so I could have the room with the door. I was pretty glad about that now. I'd remembered the band-aids, but the wadded up hanky had slipped out of my mouth when I'd rolled over, and I was pretty sure I'd been screaming in my sleep.

It was kind of early, but there was light coming through my window, so that was good. I sat up again, a little more leisurely this time. I pulled out of my pajamas and got straight into my over-worn dress. I couldn't be bothered to take a shower, not with the only full bathroom being connected to Grandma and Sig's master bedroom. I shoved my feet into my heels out of habit and shuffled lazily out my door.

It came as a surprise to me, but I heard some chatting going on in the kitchen. It was low, but I could hear it was Grandma, and it was like she was talking to herself or something because no one was talking back. I walked down the hall toward her voice.

"So, she doesn't know," said Grandma.

No reply.

"Has it gotten that bad?"

I came into the kitchen, my scuffed heels clacking across the floor. Grandma was seated at the table and Maes was actually sitting across from her, looking kind of pale with his eyes on me. Grandma was always pale. "Something you need to tell me?" I asked, feeling bad for overhearing junk. "I swear I'm all ears."

Maes was looking kind of sallow about something. He looked at the table shaking his head. "It's nothing."

Grandma looked at him, sinking. "Maes…"

"It's fine," he said. He stood. "Let me make you coffee."

Grandma looked worried watching Maes looking through the cupboards for the grounds. I sat down in the seat where he had been.

I patted my palms on the tabletop. "So, I'm thinking eggs, over-easy? Sometimes it's like I burn more calories asleep than awake."

Grandma eyed me, not too hateful. "Are you always so loud when you sleep?"

Maes kind of whipped his head around like what she'd said was news to him.

I felt flushy. "Oops." I looked at her kind of apologetic. "I won't forget to muffle it next time."

Maes set the coffee grounds on the counter and turned to me. "You had a bad dream?"

I laughed. Then I realized he was actually asking. I raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

Maes looked like he was definitely not kidding. I felt bad for laughing.

"Was it about the Portal?" Grandma asked. Maes shot her a glance.

I frowned, getting all tense and uncomfortable. "What the hell would you know about it, lady?" She'd definitely pressed the wrong button. I felt kind of pouty because someone had leaked my secret to her, and I was hoping it wasn't Maes.

Grandma got weird. She actually met my eyes. "When was the last time you used your alchemy, Nina?"

I looked at Maes like he'd set me up. He looked kind of guilty. "You're screwing with me, right? This isn't funny."

"She's not being funny," said Maes. "She committed the taboo a long time ago. You wanted to learn how to use your alchemy, so I've asked her to help you." Maes gave me a half-smile. "Your potential far surpasses what I could ever be capable of. I think you'd do better talking to Izumi first. She'll know what to do."

"Izumi?"

Grandma nodded. "That's my name." She looked at Maes. "He slips up and calls me by it when he has too much on his mind."

"You went through the Gate?" I asked, kind of intrigued she'd even talk about it. My dad never talked about it. Ever. And I hadn't even known my mom when through until yesterday when Maes told me on the train. "Was it white? Was there black hands coming at you?"

Grandma looked at me kind of endearing or something. "That's right."

I looked at the table. My eyes were aching. I blinked a couple times because I didn't want to cry for no reason. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes."

"What part?"

"Going in. Going out." She stopped for a moment. "My price."

I looked up and she had her hand on her stomach. Maes had gone back to making coffee.

I ran my fingers through my hair. "I don't remember." I shut my eyes and shook my head. "I don't remember what parts really happened and what parts are just dreams."

"When was the last time you performed alchemy?"

I counted in my head back to the night I'd lit my hands on fire and my parents found out later, the night before I'd met Maes. "Basically six days."

"No," said Grandma. "I meant on purpose."

"What, like controlling the damn sparks?" I laughed. "Yeah, right! Just because I went through the Gate doesn't mean I'm some kind of alchemist. I don't know how to 'perform' that junk."

Grandma shook her head like she was ashamed to know me. "Of course you know."

"You've done it before," said Maes. "You just don't remember."


	23. Chapter 23: Teacher, Teach Me

Author's Note: I think Maes's favorite food is cornbread. Nina's is cornbread fed from Maes's mouth. The end.

Shan-Shan XP: Nina gets better and better. I've actually written ahead for later, so I know ;D

Hawkstang: Hm, Izumi 'vs' Portal...You may just have a point there, hahaha!

verry-chan: In Babysitting the Boss Guy, Roy really was proud of Nina for her alchemy. Until it started killing her and she started attacking other people with it...Shame.

DanniMaeAnime92: I loved writing Nina as clueless but totally aware of that fact. It makes her ignorance really cool.

Takara Rose Oizumi: I have recovered, pretty much. I woke up this morning and I thought I was dying. I was an idiot last night and stayed up until dawn with my sis (watching Fullmetal). Prom or no prom, I'm a dunce when it comes to bedtime :P

mixmax300: When you talked about getting up for food while sleeping off prom, it reminded me of how I used to keep crackers in my top drawer in my bedside table when I was in high school. My metabolism was running on overdrive and I'd wake up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache because I'd be so hungry. Dang, I forgot about that, haha.

Harryswoman: I showed my sister the update for tomorrow and she actually clapped at the end. My sister is brutally hard to impress when it comes to writing. I felt so cool :D haha

* * *

Chapter 23: Teacher, Teach Me

So, first of all I was supposed to read a heck of a lot of boring books that came off looking like eleventh-grade Trig. Apparently I'd graduated out of automail scut-work immersion camp to confusing alchemy boot camp. I felt more like sitting around and chopping meat with Sig all day, or maybe going out and buying myself some real clothes that didn't look like they cost a whole lot. I was getting tired of the dress and heels.

I read through the stupid books and I figured out about half of it. Then I got bored, so I drew sloppy copies of the prettiest circles I could find in the book on alchemic symbols until Izumi came in and told me it was time to go through some special notes, or something. All it looked like to me was a mediocre cookbook. She told me to go to my room and put on the clothes she'd thrown on my bed then meet her outside. I wondered if maybe we were doing some kind of alchemic barbeque. I left my room barefoot because heels didn't go with her crappy hand-me-downs.

I came outside, tugging on the frayed trim on the shorts I'd climbed into. The things were kind of second-hand dusty, like Izumi hadn't worn them in a while. I'd given up trying to keep the shorts up by buckling the belt and settled for just tying it into a tight leather knot at my hip. The extra cloth bunched up all around my hips like ruffles.

The shorts left my legs so freaking bare that all the space on my thighs that had never gotten any sun blared paleness like none other. My thighs' scars dappled me like a Dalmatian. The blue shirt hung on me and showed my bra straps. With my home-cut hair, the stumpy braids hanging over either shoulder sprigged out like tangled spikes. I looked at my reflection in the window and realized I'd never been so beautiful.

"Wow!" said Maes as I came into the sun. "Nina, your legs are even whiter at the top! It looks like you soaked your legs in tea up to the knees and you coated the top halves in bleach."

"Pretty sharp, huh?" I said, coming more into the yard to stand with him in the prickly grass. "Damn, going south gets hot in the afternoon. I've never worn shorts out of the house in my life. I don't even own shorts."

"Do you like it?"

I looked at the rumpled ensemble. "I kind of actually do. I don't have to worry about the wind blowing my skirt from my legs, you know?"

Maes laughed with his eyebrows raised. "No, I wouldn't know about that kind of thing."

"Oh, come on!" I said. "I meant for your to sympathize, not freaking empathize!"

Maes laughed some more because apparently I was funny. I laughed a little too, because I knew I was.

"What's all the chit-chat about?" Izumi said, coming out kind of vicious. "If you have time to talk you have time to study."

"I read your damn books," I said, kind of stretching it just a bit, because I'd only been paying attention to half of what I'd read. "You told me to meet you out here. Dang, it's sweltering!" I was sweating. Fuhrers' daughters weren't allowed to sweat.

"Welcome to Dublith in August," Maes said with an encouraging smile. I didn't know what the heck I needed encouragement for.

"So, we doing some alchemy-steak, or what?" I asked.

Izumi looked kind of disgusted, just a little. Maes looked just confused. I felt really dumb. I kind of realized just then that an 'alchemy barbeque' was a farfetched idea as to why we'd be out here. But, seriously, she had a cookbook in her hand and this was a butcher-shop. And I specialized in flames, apparently. We could have had a serious cook-out.

Izumi looked to the side like she wanted to roll her eyes. "In becoming an alchemist, you must be able to understand the flow of your body as well as your mind." She held her hand over her eyes like a visor as she tilted her head to the sky. "The body and soul are connected. You cannot have one without the other. It's the same with the world, the universe, every living thing…"

"Oh!" I said. "You mean like some kind of cycle, right? I think your books talked about all that 'life' junk." I scrunched my brow, trying to find the words. "It's like we all try to separate everything into individual parts because it makes us feel like we're in control, right? But really we're all just a bunch of little pieces tangled up in one infinite package. Like, we're all a big whopping all. If everything…If we're all connected…" I laughed like I'd told a joke that only I understood. "I guess I'm pretty much all, am I right? Go with the flow!"

Maes and Izumi were pretty much silent. You could practically hear the crickets, only it was daytime, so it would've been more like grasshoppers or something. Maes met his gaze with Izumi's and they held it for a moment, kind of a serious moment that I didn't understand. I chewed on my bottom lip.

"Was I really that off base?" I asked. I slouched. "I'll shut up. Go ahead and finish. I won't participate anymore. Or maybe I'll just raise my hand next time."

"No," said Izumi, kind of sharp. "You're exactly right." She tossed her cook book into the grass. "Well, then. I guess we'll just skip to the end."

"Grandma," said Maes, kind of quiet like he was really just talking to her. He looked at her hard and shook his head. "No."

"With her kind of potential, neglecting to teach Nina control before helping her manifest her abilities would be more than irresponsible. It would be dangerous." Izumi looked even harder at him than he was looking at her. "I won't go further until I'm convinced she knows her own strength."

Maes looked kind of nervous, not like he usually was. He looked at me. He looked back at Izumi. "You'll be gentle. She's not like Dad or Uncle Al."

Izumi smiled, and it was kind of a smirk which was unsettling. "Of course."

Maes sighed. He walked past me and on over to the front stoop. He looked like maybe he would put his hands in his red pockets, but instead he ended up taking off the coat altogether so he was just wearing a black t-shirt. Black was torture in the sun. Izumi was at the other end of the yard, cracking her knuckles.

Maes shook out the coat with one shake, folded it, and left it on the stoop. He glanced at me as he went on over to Izumi through the grass. He looked actually a little excited around the edges. He rolled his shoulders back like he was loosening them a bit.

"Not too much running," said Maes. "I'll start coughing."

"I don't run in a fight."

Maes gave Izumi a grin. I fanned myself with my hand. I figured I wasn't going to be included in whatever they were doing, so I went over to the stoop and sat in the shade with Maes's jacket.

For a while, Maes and Izumi were kind of muttering to each other and I couldn't hear them, just see their mouths yacking. Then they got about three feet apart and they started to point in different directions and at each other. Then Maes said something and Izumi nodded. Then Maes smiled wide and crooked and he nodded back.

Then he closed the three foot gap between them, grabbed Granma's right arm up to her shoulder, yanked her into doubling over, and shot his knee up at her gut.

"Dear God!" I said, coming up on my feet. And then I repeated myself, "Dear…God."

Grandma had twisted her body around at the last second, not just dodging Maes's blow, but turning his hold on her arm against him and twisting it behind his back. She pulled him around so hard I thought she'd dislocate his shoulder. But he wove out of her hold and backed up enough to swing a kick at her stomach. She pivoted just in time to take his ankle and flip him on his back.

I could see a little of a wince around Maes's nostrils, but he hopped up almost the moment he went down, taking a shot at Izumi in the middle of her rebound. She shifted to the side and raised her arm to block it, but it was like Maes saw it coming. His shot fell short in a smooth turn like he hadn't even meant to follow through in the first place. He got a hold of her shoulder and jerked her around. He moved fast and deliberate, sliding one hand down her shoulder to grip one wrist, then weaving his other hand around her to grab her other wrist, stopping her arm short as she made a last attempt to thrust her elbow into his belly.

He strung her arms behind her back, twisting them over one another. As he restrained her, I watched him bring up the toe of his boot and nudge the backs of her knees just enough to make them buckle, one after the other. He held her delicate wrists with one hand, pressing them against her spine, and bowed her head at the grass with the other. He knelt on one knee. He was panting.

"Sorry, Grandma," he said, coughing a little to catch his breath. "I had to cut it short."

He let go of her and stood, helping her up like she really was his Grandma again and not some kind of sparring buddy. She held onto his arms and brushed the hair out of his eyes, getting his sweat all over her hand. Maes took a deep breath. I heard him say softly to her that he was okay.

He walked slowly back to the stoop where I stood in mild cardiac arrest. Izumi walked beside him.

"What the hell?" I said. I frowned. "You have the coolest family ever. This is so not fair."

Maes smiled my way. He sat down on the stoop and rested his forehead in his hand, breathing heavy. Izumi kneeled in front of him and looked a little like she regretted fighting with him.

"Hey, you want some water?" I asked, craning my neck so I could get a look at his eyes.

"I think that storm sickness in Central really did me in," he said.

"You had storm sickness?" asked Izumi. She put her hand on his shoulder and it went up and down with his shoulders as he breathed.

"We outran it," said Maes, smiling kind of to himself.

"On the train," I clarified. "We ran south."

Izumi rubbed his shoulder like she was proud. "Resourceful."

I felt kind of bad for not rubbing his other shoulder, but at the same time, Maes had made it kind of clear that he didn't like people worrying over him. Plus, this wasn't all that bad compared to how it had been back in Central.

"So, what was that? Some kind of demonstration? Do I get to go next?"

Maes nodded. "Just getting her warmed up for you."

"You were supposed to be watching," said Izumi, eying me coldly.

"Yeah, it was great!" I said. "You two were practically dancing. It was like I was telling you." I pointed to Maes sideways with my thumb. "It was like he was one, and you were one, and the dance was one, but…Wait, can I start over? Never mind. I'm done."

"No that's great," said Maes, straightening in spite of his breathlessness. "Did you read that? I didn't know your books went into that much detail, Grandma."

"They don't," said Izumi.

I shrugged. "It's kind of just common sense."

Maes stared at me, wide eyed like he was staring at God. Izumi stood. She turned to me with her fists planted on her hips. "Don't just sit there. Maes didn't wind himself for your entertainment. You're up, Nina."

Maes gave Izumi a stern look. "Gentle, Grandma. We said gentle."

"I know, Maes. Just rest, alright?" She was so freaking sugar-coated when she focused her eyes on him.

I followed Izumi out to where she and Maes had sparred at the end of the yard. It felt kind of like she was leading me out to the forest to shoot me in the back of the head and hide the body.

"Hey, Grandma, I don't fight like a pro," I said.

"I'm aware of that. I didn't bring you out here to hone your fighting skills." She faced me. "Alchemy is a verb as much as it is a noun. It's a physical act. With power like yours, I'd hate to think of the rebound that could result from you not executing a transmutation properly."

"That sounds really frightening."

"Come at me."

I stared. "No."

Izumi frowned. "Come at me, Nina. I won't hurt you. I promised Maes."

"What the hell does me beating up an old lady have to do with the flow of life?"

Izumi clenched her fists and tensed her shoulders so tight like she was so ready to slug me. "Just come at me!"

"Why?"

"It's the next step."

I grabbed my hands on my hips. "Socking a person is a very personal thing. It's not something you take for granted. Tell me what my motivation for it is and I just might do it. Maybe."

Izumi looked so ready to slug me. I looked past her over to the stoop and Maes was there laughing really hard into his hand.

"I need you to show me what you can do so I can tell you was you're doing wrong," Izumi said.

"Just tell me all the right stuff."

"There's too much."

"Assume I'm doing everything wrong."

Izumi looked semi scary, almost like mom during hormone week. "Defend yourself. How's that for motivation?"

I caught Maes shooting up to his feet. "Izumi, don't!"

I saw her hand turn into a perfect flat slice, like an axe or something. Her arm got flexed and hard. She pulled it back and shoved sideways at my side, right at my stomach so she could knock me down and wind me pretty good.

I balled my fist with my thumb on top, the safe way out of habit. I stumbled forward for momentum and slammed her hard in the jaw. I'd been going for her cheekbone, but I was short. I kind of aimed too low. I hadn't had to use my self-defense training in a while. I'd gotten rusty.

"Ouch!" I said, shaking out my fist. "Jeez, Grandma! What's your face made of, cinder blocks?"

Izumi staggered back, holding a split lip. "What just happened?"

Maes panted as he came up behind her. Darn idiot had run on over to break us up for no reason. He took Izumi's arm and helped her stay steady as she collected herself.

"You completely told me to do that," I said, massaging my knuckles. I had to get that out there.

Izumi spat out some blood on the grass, all frothy with saliva. I made a face.

"Izumi!" Sig shouted from the house. All the sudden he was bounding out of the house toward us like he had some kind of 'Izumi in peril' radar. I did not doubt it.

Izumi stood on her own, holding her hand up, gesturing to Maes that she was fine. Sig came behind her and Maes stepped aside so Sig could cradle his crotchety old wife.

"Izumi," he said, holding her bony shoulders with his big hands.

She put a hand over his hand. "I'm fine. It's just a split lip."

"She's okay, Sig," Maes said, chuckling. "Grandfather Philosopher's Stone patched her up good. She won't spit up blood over a little roughing up."

"Grandfather Philosopher's Stone?" I said. "You talking about your Grandpa Homunculus?"

Maes nodded. "Yeah, you remembered."

"Sure, you only told me the story, like, yesterday."

"I told you a lot."

"I remembered a lot."

"Nina!" Izumi said. It kind of freaked me out how quick she bounced back. But I looked up and she was looking at me kind of soft. I felt like she was secretly planning to take revenge. "You did very well."

I snorted. Maes laughed at me snorting. "She's not mocking you, Nina."

I perked up. "Wait, really?"

Izumi actually smiled. "No one told me the Fuhrer's pampered little girl knew how to throw a punch."

I shrugged. "Well, no one asked."

She nodded. "Time to start on dinner." She and Sig held hands all the way inside.


	24. Chapter 24: Nina the Alchemist

Author's Note: I feel like Alex Armstrong would really enjoy slumber parties. He'd strip his shirt off and make his muscles sparkle, and then he'd be like, "Don't worry. I'll bring my own pillow!"

verry-chan: I love writing characters who are good at the athletic stuff. Mostly because I suck at ALL athletic related stuff.

SavFFLover: I really like choreographing in my writing! Fights, dances, kisses, haha XP

RoseblossomWarrior: I have not seen their OVA yet. I've seen a few FMA OVAs, but I just never got to that one. I'm totally going to watch it with my sister since she finally finished the series tonight!

mixmax300: Whoa! That's a lot of cheez-its. I'm like that with fried chicken. Usually I'm a really healthy eater, but I can't help myself with fried chicken. My sister says I look like a dragon in a cave with my pile of bones, but they're chicken bones, haha.

Harryswoman: Sig and Izumi are the coolest couple there ever was. They're such a team! I love them.

DanniMaeAnime92: Oh, gosh! I feel like the biggest dork. I read over the 'cinder blocks' quote in your review and I laughed at my own joke, haha.

Hawkstang: I'm not sure Maes would approve of Izumi kicking Nina's ass, but he seemed pretty impressed with Nina kicking Izumi's. Ha!

PhantomhiveHost: With Roy and Riza as parents, I figured Nina would've been trained in self-defense after pre-school five days a week and three hours on Sundays :D

otakgirlyy: Oh, the cornbread...? It's this thing me and my sister do. We kind of define peoples' personalities by what they eat, or something trivial like that. Nina eats a lot of black olives. Armstrong likes slumber parties. Scar likes red lollipops when no one's looking. George Clooney loves green beans. I don't think that makes sense to anyone else...heh heh

* * *

Chapter 24: Nina the Alchemist

Me and Maes just stood side by side and watched the Curtis-couple head on inside. Everything was quiet. The whole neighborhood was inside relaxing, staying out of the heat. I kept my eyes forward. I was guessing Maes was looking forward at nothing as well.

"It was because you held back," said Maes, finally. "That's why you did well."

"I pretty much punched her all the way back there."

"If you'd been stronger, would you have punched harder?"

I thought. "Not so much."

"She wasn't testing your restraint for combat, Nina." He laughed softly. "She was seeing if she could trust you with your alchemy."

I giggled. "How does crappy fighting determine something like that?"

"It wasn't determining anything. That's just how Grandma gets to know people."

"By knocking them down?"

"Yeah."

I looked up at him. He was smiling forward like he was smiling at her. He turned to look at me. He looked forward again, distant. His eyes greyed.

"You're incredible, do you know that?" he said. "It took my dad and my uncle a full month to fully grasp the concept of 'the all' and 'the one.' You figured it out without even realizing it was a concept."

I didn't reply, because all I could think to say was, _"It's a concept?"_

Maes sat on the ground, leaning his elbows on his knees. "It took my sister a couple weeks past a month because my dad made her alchemy training a lot easier on her than he'd had it. Her results have always come slower, but still, she's a prodigy. The fact that you got it faster than she did…I didn't think…"

I sat next to him. The yellow grass prickled my legs. "How long did it take you?" I asked.

Maes smiled, his head bowed to the ground. "Two years."

"Two years?" I felt a squeak in my voice and I kind of felt bad. Maes suddenly seemed pathetic to me.

"That's a joke, Nina," he said, patting my back like I was choking. "Your mom told you what happened."

"What?"

Maes knit his brow. "What happened when I was two."

"Remind me." Seriously, I felt like the jerk who forgot his birthday.

"The reason why our parents don't talk anymore."

"You mean you leaking all that crap about government secrets and junk?" I asked. "What does that have to do with 'one is all' and stuff?"

"What are you talking about?" Maes's face looked kind of flat. "Mustang left because he saw me playing alchemy in the nursery before my parents put me to bed."

I laughed. "Yeah. Sure, Maes." For a second I'd thought something was kind of wrong.

Maes took my shoulder a little harder than usual. "Is that what they told you? You think your parents left because I knew too much? I was two!"

I met his eyes. He didn't look angry. He looked crazy horrified. I put my hand over his and rubbed his fingers. "That's what my mom said."

Maes let go of me. He shook his head, half laughing, half panting. "I don't understand."

"Sorry."

"No, don't. You're fine. You're…perfect. I just…" He breathed shakily. "I just don't think they realize…"

"Maes?" I said, scooting close to him. I put my hand on his sweat-damp back and rubbed gently up and down. "Maes, what's going on? Grandma says you're not normally like this. Please, I don't need to be looked after. Just tell me."

Maes stole a glance at me through his peripheral. His eyes darted back to the ground. He shook his head. "I was serious. I did my first transmutation at two years," he breathed, "and three months. My uncle helped me with the first few, but then it just kind of turned into something I would do like other kids would do with finger painting and sandcastles."

I didn't know too much about alchemy, but barely out of diapers seemed way too young to be doing the transmuting deal. Maes must have seen the skepticism on my face, because he spoke up.

"You were two when you went through the Portal." He locked my gaze. "It may not be believable, Nina, but it is possible. We were alchemists when most kids hadn't even learned to read."

I stopped rubbing his back because I didn't want to seem excessive. "How'd you do it?"

Maes shrugged. "I don't really remember. I was practically a baby when it started. My dad started showing me the arrays in his alchemy books as a joke, like pictures in a bedtime story. He taught me the periodic table like a nursery rhyme to impress my Uncle Al and Aunt Mai when they came over from Xing for visits." Maes hugged his knees a little. "Then they started finding transmutation circles scribbled into my coloring books—not quality, but accurate. And I stopped seeing the periodic table as a bunch of letters in the alphabet and starts putting them together like words. I noticed things. I applied things the same as any kid does with the material he's given."

"Maes," I said, kind of smiling, "no kid would be able to 'apply' alchemy the same as they would 'apply' rhymes and alphabet songs. Seriously, you're special."

Maes didn't look too complimented. "That's why your dad didn't want me near you. He thought we were the same. He thought I was too young to control it. But, the real danger isn't about age. It's about that damn Gate. God knows I haven't been through there. No matter how good I get…"

Maes looked terrifyingly upset. He had those eyes, those desperate eyes he'd had back at the phone booth when I'd set him off about his dad. He looked up at the sky. It had gotten orangey. The sun was starting to set.

Maes breathed. "No matter what I do, God knows I can't go through that Gate."

He said it like he wanted to. It kind of really freaked me out. I grabbed his wrist on instinct. I didn't even realize I was doing it, and when I did, I couldn't let go. I just squeezed harder. "You don't want to. You don't want to."

Maes winced, but he didn't fight me. He waited for me to stop holding my breath and to release him on my own. I squished my hands between my knees, holding them there. "I'm sorry. That was really stupid."

"No," he said, "I think you're probably being a lot smarter than me right now."

Maes stood up slowly like he was sore. He put his hand out and helped me up. I didn't really need help, but I completely took it anyway.

"Maes, you know I'm all ears, right?" I asked, brushing the grass-rubble off my butt.

He smiled almost like his spirit was weak. He'd gotten really pale like a spider had drained all the blood out of his veins. I figured Izumi had been pretty darn justified for thinking Maes seemed lost. He seemed downright disgruntled.

"Nina…"

"Yeah, what?"

"Do you know anything about medicinal alchemy?"

I folded my hands behind my back. "You mean alchehestry, right? I don't know. My dad drew me a circle a few years back for when I burned myself in my sleep. I keep it in my bathroom, usually. I've only used it a few times a month, tops."

Maes turned his head to me fast. "You know how to activate with Dragon's Pulse?" He smiled big. "That's great."

I smiled back, kind of unsteady. I didn't know what the heck a 'Dragon's Pulse' was.

"Can you show me?" he asked, perking up. "Will you do it for me? I want to see you."

I leaned back and forth on my toes. "I guess. Grandma did graze my knuckles a little bit with her face. I could try to heal that or something. Let me grab my circle."

"You don't know how to draw it yourself?"

I stopped rocking on my toes and stood still. I felt stupid for having to say it, "I guess my dad always did it for me." And Maes had been drawing out his own since he was two.

"Do you remember what it looks like?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess. Maybe." I was feeling pretty warm in the face. I really wasn't sure if I could remember it.

"Well, I can help you if you get stuck. Come on. The street's pretty smooth next to the house."

He put his hand out. I took it, fascinated at the idea of drawing my circle right smack-dab onto the street instead of on a paper napkin. The street had been empty since the night we'd gotten there, it seemed. I could have had a picnic there.

"Back home, you can barely cross the street without being run over," I said. "Any time, any day, even if you're the Sweetheart of Amestris." I stuck my tongue out like I'd eaten something gross.

Maes laughed, leading me to the clear pavement. He still had my hand. I wondered if he knew he still had it. I was very much aware. The callouses on his gentle grip were tickling against my scars. I felt kind of like matches holding hands with a matchbox. Maes slowed to a stop and released my hand.

"Here's good," he said. He pointed to the ground. "It looks like Sig just swept."

"Yeah…" I sucked on my lip. "What do I draw the thingy with?"

"Oh." Maes laughed a little like he was laughing at himself. He looked around. "I guess I'll have to go in and get some chalk. There's nothing around here."

"Let's just use my pre-drawn circle."

"I want to see _you_ do it," said Maes, looking kind of pitiful with his big golden eyes.

I sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Go."

He smiled all cute and enthusiastic and hurried on off. I thought about sitting down. The day was getting later and I felt like I could maybe even cool down a little if I tried. But I was a newcomer standing in the middle of a public street in pretty much ridiculous clothes. Sitting down right there in the way of everything seemed a little overboard at that point without Maes around to make it okay.

I realized I wasn't just feeling out of place with the whole setting and the clothing choice. I guessed I was a little uncomfortable being there in general. I mean, Maes had said he liked me. He'd acted like he liked me. But, seriously, I had no solid reason I could come up with for that. I liked him, too. I had plenty of reasons I could come up with for me wanting to tag along with him. But my place with him still just seemed unstable.

It was like I couldn't completely trust how much he'd been trusting me, because chances were it wouldn't last. It sucked, because he'd been so dang open and caring with me. It came freaking natural to me to care right back. But I just had this horrible feeling that sooner or later he'd realize I wasn't all that special and then he'd just be being nice to me because he was a nice guy, not because he actually liked me.

"Dang, that sounds awful," I said, grumbling. I bit my lip and ran my teeth back and forth over it.

"Hey, you alone?" I looked up and some dude with unimpressive facial hair was walking down the street toward me with a top-heavy girl in her late teens holding onto his arm. There was a taller guy who could've been more like college age walking behind them like some kind of shepherd.

I stepped out of their way a little as they came. "Not so much," I said. "My friend's just grabbing some junk from inside."

They didn't pass. They just kind of stuck around. The tall guy was kind of straight faced. The couple both smiled. "You new?" asked the girl, batting her mascara-clumped lashes.

"Visiting," I said kind of dull. I didn't like making friends with people I would never see again.

"You look new," said the boyfriend.

"Because I'm visiting." I took it they wanted me to ask about them, now. I'd have to follow the rules of small-talk. Tall-guy looked as thrilled as I was. "You guys locals?"

"Born and raised," said the girl. She had a giggle in her voice that made her sound like she'd been eating pink bubbles. "It's nice here. The schools are really friendly. You'll like it."

"I'm not moving here. I'm just visiting." I really hated how often people mistook me for a high school kid. Chances were, these people thought I was younger than they were. That pissed me off. "I'm in college."

Their eyes all widened a little, all three, even tall-guy. That didn't surprise me, but it still wasn't fun to watch.

"What college?" asked the guy with the patchy mustache and jaw stubble.

"Central Fine Arts Academy," I said. I felt stupid all the sudden for going to a school within walking distance of my parents. These kids probably knew more about life outside than I did.

"Wow!" said the girl. "You're an artist? What's Central like? I've always wanted to go."

"They've got great international restaurants," said the boyfriend. "I went there for that summer trip in sixth grade."

The girl smiled big. "Oh, right!"

Tall guy stepped forward a little, reminding us he was there. He had his eyes set heavy on me. Suddenly I wasn't annoyed. When they came that tall, I just felt intimidated.

"You're from Central?" he asked.

I only remembered saying I went to school there. "I've lived there for a while, I guess. Like I said, I'm just visiting."

The tall guy looked a little hardened, like dried up magma. He parted his friends and walked between them to stand right in front of me.

"Hey, Jake…?" said the mustache kid.

"I know your face," said Jake, towering over me.

I made the mistake of tilting my head all the way up to meet his eyes, not really seeing the harm in it. I just wanted to inventory his expression, but he was so tall right in front of me that I had to crane my head really back and my scruffy braids and blunt bangs fell away from my face. Jake's eyes got bulging wide for a second, but then they narrowed really quick when his brow turned down.

"I know you," he said. "You're Nina Mustang."

Aw, crumbs. I looked over at the house. I figured Maes must have had to pee or something. He was taking forever. And here I'd thought I'd skipped the autographs.

"I'm on vacation," I said. That should have been enough of an excuse for me right there.

But Jake didn't seem to want any kind of an autograph. I realized that fact a little late. He swung his bronzed hand back and slapped me hard across the face. This wasn't like Dad's 'intent to slap.' Jake's hand made serious contact. It struck so hard and fast that my eyes started tearing from the impact before I even hit the ground. I heard the girl scream, but it was fuzzy like there were cotton fluffs in my ears. It took a second for my face to sting, but then it did and I felt the pressure in my cheek and nose as they immediately bruised. I figured I was stunned.

I pushed up on my side, getting myself together, but I didn't even get a chance. Jake grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to my feet. "I want my brother back, bitch!"

The word, 'bitch,' panged in my head like a giant muffled bell, like it wasn't the first time it had rung. He was lifting me a little off my heels and he was making the skin on my shoulder tug and pinch. I was dizzy. I could hear people, but I didn't bother figuring out their dialogue. I couldn't see too straight, so I gave up on assessing things, too.

"I don't have him," I said. I tasted blood when I sucked my lip.

"The Fuhrer stole him!" Jake said, shaking me. "Your father's military."

"He a soldier?" I asked, like a shot in the dark. I was kind of playing all this by ear. Usually a bodyguard would have stepped in by now.

Jake's blurred-up form looked kind of nutsy with its primitive broad posture. "The military…!"

"I don't think there's a draft going on," I said, reasoning it out. The words were starting to come out a little slurred. I sounded like an idiot. "You sure my dad stole him?"

I felt my body lifting more. A tiny screech hissed in the back of my throat as the skin on my shoulder pinched tight between his fingers. He was pretty encouraged to get a reaction out of me. He lifted me higher, practically whiplashing me. I couldn't feel the ground too well now.

"Jake," I said, still a little garbled, "I think your brother signed up on his own, you know?" So, problem solved.

Or not. "Shut up!" He shook me hard and my neck really felt sore. I tried to look for Maes, but I was damn dizzy. "You bitch! You bitch!"

The word rang in my head, over and over, until I wasn't sure if he was even the one saying it anymore. I scrunched my eyes shut to keep everything from spinning. 'Bitch' screamed under my skull, echoing in my ears, banging on my chest. I choked on a breath.

Suddenly everything went kind of flat. The chaos didn't stop, but it shifted. It turned a little more like I knew what was happening, kind of routine. I wasn't in Dublith anymore, not in the street. Everything was white. All over was nothing but white—white wallpaper on the walls, white tiles on the floor, white tables, white machines, white paper and white pens.

But this wasn't the Portal, not the one from my dreams. In my dreams, I was me, the present me, like I'd walked through a door. I was smaller here, compact and thin, like I'd wasted away into something infantile. I sucked on my lips and realized they were thinner and more delicate, and my teeth were tiny against my tongue and had gaps like I didn't have all of them in my mouth yet.

In my dreams, I was always alone. But here I was curled against the wall and in front of me was a tall guy with a full beard and a white lab coat kicking ma and calling me a bitch.

"You bitch!" he shouted, his voice sharp and gravelly. "You know what to do, so do it! We can't afford another failure, do you understand?"

My mouth formed the words for me. "I tried a lot, so I get water now."

His dress-shoe hit me with a hard pointed toe and it felt like he was beating me with a small steel hammer.

"You show some results and you can have all the water you want." It sounded more like some kind of threat than a promise.

His boot came swift this time and didn't hold back in following through. It caught me on my right arm, just above my elbow. The blow tugged my skin so hard that it ripped open. Hot red liquid burbled down my arm and dripped into my naked child's lap.

I looked down. All over me were my scars, but some weren't there yet; I could tell. It wasn't right. They weren't scars yet, not all of them. Some were open, some were bruises, and some were scabbed over. There was one on my side next to my naval that had tidy stitches. All over I realized I ached, but I barely noticed. I realized I was used to it. I realized I didn't know that there was any other way to feel. I wasn't hungry because I didn't know anything but hunger. I was forgetting how not to feel pain.

The blood came down my arm and I didn't even cry. Something in me realized I didn't know I was supposed to cry. I just stared up at the bearded man and smiled.

"I get a water now, please. Okay." My voice sounded so tiny from my throat, like a chick cheeping.

"You little bitch!"

The guy stepped back to kick me harder than the last time, but something stopped him. A surgical-gloved hand held the man still. A new person, a person with glasses and a mask over his nose and mouth came forward with a clipboard.

"Let's not damage our materials, Doctor." The masked guy wasn't angry, or at least he didn't sound like it. He didn't sound like he was anything. "It would be inconvenient to have to replace the subject after all we've invested in it."

The bearded guy backed down. I felt no relief. Just the passing of time.

The man with the glasses stepped forward, looked at me, and scribbled something on his clipboard with a white pen. He looked up and walked out the white door with the bearded guy following close behind. I could hear him calling, "Bagrov, you're needed in Subject 21's cell. The Doctor's lost his temper again."

I looked down at my arm and watched the red bleed over the white and stain into the nothingness. My head spun. All I could see were boots kicking and big broad palms smacking, smacking straight across my tiny face.

I opened my eyes. The world came back into sharp focus. The teen couple was screaming for Jake to ease off, to set me down. Jake was staring me in the face with a snarl in the corner of his lip, like a carnivorous animal. My feet were definitely off the ground and my shoulder definitely felt like the skin couldn't put up with being stretched any more.

"Bitch!" Jake yelled. Big watery tears splashed down his face and for a moment I felt like something wasn't right. "You stupid bitch!"

'Bitch' banged my head, reverberating through my neck and my eyes. I felt my shoulder tugging, the joint grinding. I began to forget how much it hurt. All I knew was red against white.

My hands put themselves together, palm to palm, restrained with him holding my arm. As they pressed each other, I felt my breathing flow easier. I felt a glow coming under my chin, radiating red light around my praying hands.

I could hear the couple making scared noises. Jake shifted his wild eyes to the glow. Right then, I couldn't be taken off guard. I parted my hands easily and grabbed Jake by the wrist where he had a hold on me. I watched his face grimace, heard him yell, as his flesh broke under my glowing hand.

He dropped me, staggering back. I stumbled forward with him, still holding his wrist, tightening my grasp to break deeper through his skin. I could feel his hot blood flowing through my fingers, down my arm, red bleeding over the white.

The teens chickened out and ran off. Jake pulled and screamed, but I held harder. I glared at him, unwavering, and spoke through gritted teeth, "Make it stop." I felt a heave in my throat like I could vomit. My mind was screaming, 'bitch…bitch…bitch.' I twisted his arm, ignoring his cries. "Make it stop!"

"Nina…"

My heart pounded.

"Nina…"

Maes's hands held my shoulders, easing me back. I felt my chest fighting to breathe. Maes's grip wasn't like Jake's. Maes held me like he was holding something glass.

"Nina…" His voice cracked a little when he spoke. He held under my elbow on the arm I was using to hold Jake's wrist. "Nina, it's time to let go."

I swallowed. "I want it to stop."

"I'll help you," said Maes. I could feel him breathing kind of unsteady on my hair.

I found my head nodding slow, my fingers loosening at the knuckles, one by one. Maes gripped my elbow and jerked my hand off the rest of the way before I could change my mind. I dropped to my knees and vomited onto the pavement. Maes came down with me, holding me upright through the shivers. I felt his coat rest on my shoulders, the unsightly red cloaking me like Maes was tucking me in.

"I remember," I said, my breathing frantic and hoarse. "I know how I…I know where this came from." I pointed to my arm right above the elbow at the pale brown scar splotched into it. "I got kicked. He kicked me. He called me a bitch and he kicked me until I bled and he wanted to kick me again but then…"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken so long." Maes looked at me like he was looking at the dog he hit with his car. He hugged his arm around my shoulders and scooped my up from under my legs. "I'm sorry. I should never have asked you to do this."

I grabbed onto his shirt, feeling a little like I didn't know where I was. But he had me. He walked like we were the same person, like I wasn't even in his arms being hefted around. I coughed on the vomit-taste in my mouth.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He asked it like he really needed to know.

"I have a lot of blood on my hand." My eyes hurt like they were warming up to leak. "Did I kill someone?"

"No." There was some kind of melancholy smile to Maes's voice for a second. It was like he actually still kind of admired me. "You just broke through the skin. His friends came to the house for help. Grandma's back there patching him up. It won't even leave a scar."

I closed my eyes. The bells in my head were starting to smother themselves out. "I think his brother died in duty. I think he was just sad."

Maes didn't answer. Just kept walking.

"I think I should have just let him hurt me, Maes."

Maes's hold on me got a little more tight. "I wish you wouldn't say that."

I pressed my forehead into Maes's chest, feeling the points in his metal automail dig into my skull. "I could have killed that poor guy. I don't know how I did it, but I knew I could."

"But you didn't."

"Am I dangerous, Maes?" I asked softly. "Is that why Mom and Dad didn't want me to go with you?"

Maes held me tighter against him. "Yes."

"Really?" I'd actually kind of been hoping I was wrong about that one.

"Don't worry," he said. His breathing trembled. "I'll get you home."

"Home?"

"I'm sorry, Nina," he said. His voice was thin like it might break at any moment. "This was a bad idea. I'll get you home. I'll get you back to normal and I'll never come back, I promise." His chest rose with a deep, unsteady breath. "This was never your problem. I'm sorry."


	25. Chapter 25: The Definition of 'Home'

Author's Note: May I just emphasive how long my chapters have gotten lately? God bless increased available writing time during summer break!

verry-chan: Poor Nina. Even when she loses it she's badass.

Illovebooks: Yeah, Maes can be stupid sometimes like any other human.

SaFFLover: Chapters?...I don't know yet, but I'm thinking it'll be longer than its prequel (40 chapters). The concepts in this one are more complex. We'll see, though.

mixmax300: Thanks for complimenting my flashback. It's kind of an art to write those out effectively and I was nervous to try it :)

Harryswoman: It will all come together in time, haha.

PhantomhiveHost: Your reviews are so blunt sometimes. I love it. They make me laugh :D

Takara Rose Oizumi: Don't fret. Read on ;)

Hawkstang: Yeah, hiding the truth from Nina protected her and everything, but she really has no idea what her parents did for her. It's sweet because she still loves them a lot without knowing.

DanniMaeAnime92: It was definitely a trigger.

* * *

Chapter 25: The Definition of 'Home'

I lay in bed. I kept myself awake singing the national anthem in my head, but in Selim's nasally voice for flare. They'd told me to sleep. They told me over and over, even when I begged them not to make me. Izumi scrubbed the blood off my hand, blotted my beat up face with witch hazel, and got me to brush the vomit off my teeth. She pulled me into my pajamas and swaddled me in my bed. She put the band-aids on my fingers too tight and stroked my hair and told me it was alright and it wasn't my fault. She sat with me until she was convinced I was asleep and she didn't stuff a hanky in my mouth on her way out, because she wanted to hear me scream if I did. Which I would have if I'd let myself fall asleep.

"Hail, Fuhrer King Sparky," I sang, moving my lips as I improvised a better rendition. "God bless the State of 'world peace' and idealistic junk that no one cares about." I wasn't even going by the tune anymore; just keeping myself awake. "God bless the Sweetheart of Amestris who also happens to be the terror of Amestris, as it turns out. They calibrated her in a lab and, God bless me, the Fuhrer's adopted damn-scary little girl. Like hell, his baby isn't an alchemist. Daddy's girl will alchemy-up those boys he was worried about straight to hell. Hail Fuhrer King 'Should Have Just Warned Me.'" I curled into myself. "Damn, Maes. You are so in over your head." And he'd known it. And he'd brought me along anyway.

I could kind of hear them talking. Their voices were soft because they were down the hall and they were trying to keep it down. But I could hear them. I could hear everything, lying so still and quiet and trying not to doze. Slowly I grew exhausted of making up new anthems and let my mind drift onto their words.

"…I thought if I could just get her there…" said Maes, "if I could get her to him…"

"None of us thought this would happen," said Izumi soothingly. She said it like she wasn't just saying it because it was him. "I would never have agreed to teach her if I'd even thought it was a possibility."

There was a silence.

"Maybe it's better this way," said Maes. "Maybe it's better we didn't make it to Resembool."

Yeah, flipping out in front of Maes's parents would have been absolutely embarrassing. I agreed with his statement.

"It was a good idea," said Izumi. "It just didn't work out. We gave it our best shot."

"I'm out of good ideas," said Maes. "I've been out for a long time. He needs a miracle."

I got this sour feeling in my stomach that they weren't actually angry at me. They kept talking about a 'he.' I got the same feeling that I had nothing to do with him. I got a feeling that I'd just made myself irrelevant.

"I don't want to go home," I said out loud to the grey ceiling.

My heart skipped kind of a little when I realized I'd meant it and I really shouldn't have. It wasn't just Maes, though I wasn't going to pretend he had nothing to do with it. There was a lot I didn't know, a lot more than I'd realized there was to know. Besides that, a big chunk of what I hadn't known was I was good at hurting people. And I still didn't know why.

If I went home now, my parents would lock those truths so far from my reach that I probably would never figure them out. They'd try to pretend I hadn't resorted to making a broken man bleed when he'd called me a bitch. They'd pretend I wasn't capable of killing with my bare hands, no matter how much I warned them. They'd pretend dreaming about the Portal was normal and that performing Flame Alchemy in my sleep wasn't a significant problem. They'd pretend everything could go back to normal now, when things had never really been normal in the first place.

I didn't want to go back. Not yet. I knew now I had power, but I had no idea how to control it. If I cut myself off now, I knew it would never stop.

I kind of wondered if it would've been better if Maes had just left me the heck alone back in Central and I could have just stayed pretty much naïve and happy. Thinking about it, taking out how much we got along, me and Maes probably should never have met back there.

But then the sight of my dad's white palm coming at my face flashed into my memory. And I remembered how still I'd been, how I didn't even flinch. I remembered hearing my voice coming out too strong afterward. I remembered not being able to sound fazed. I remembered feeling like crying, wanting to cry, but never crying. I remembered it like it had shocked me that it had been him who'd slapped me, but being slapped hadn't shocked me at all.

I realized that if his hand hadn't stopped short, if he'd really hit me, I might have grabbed his wrist and made him bleed. And Maes wouldn't have been there to make it stop.

"Damn it!" I said, sitting up. "This isn't how I am. I know me. I'm pretty good at life. This isn't me." I swung my feet onto the ground and hunched over my lap. I shook my head. "It's just kind of attached itself to me, that's all."

I had to get it off, and going back to my art classes and burnt toast wasn't going to do that for me.

…

I came into the parlor, practically burst in. My hair was wet from a three-minute shower and my washed dress was still slightly damp from Izumi hanging it in the closet to dry that morning. I had my shoes buckled on my ankles and my zipped backpack on my shoulder. My purse dangled from one hand, the bottom of it dragging on the ground. Sig, Izumi, and Maes stared up at me like a bobcat had just pounced into the room.

"I need to go home," I said. I planted myself in the doorway. "Now."

My voice was coming out too strong again. Izumi met Sig's eyes then turned back to me like she was gathering herself to say something. I watched her mouth open with her bruised chin and scabbed-up busted lip. I watched for her to speak. But Maes stood up and spoke first.

"I'll get you there."

I nodded. "I figured on it."

Izumi leaned forward on the couch. "Nina—"

"I'll get her there," said Maes, turning his head to Izumi. "Trust me, Grandma. I will. I won't let her do it again."

It kind of felt nice to hear him say it. He said it like he was protective or something. Even so, it kind of stung, too. He looked at me all sad and junk, probably looking at the heavy blue bruise that had formed on my cheek where I'd been struck.

Grandma reached to Maes and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it like she was telling him something with it. "I know, sweetheart," she said.

Sig stared at me all silent and junk like he was reading over my nutrition facts to see if I contained nuts. I gave him a smile that felt too confident for a person in my situation. But I was okay. I'd figured it out. I wasn't too afraid at this point. They just didn't know it yet.

Izumi had Sig walk us to the station because apparently Maes's bag was too heavy or something. Really, I figured she just wasn't wild about the idea of Maes taking me there alone in the dark with pretty much no one around if something went wrong.

The trains to Central so late in the evening were kind of sparsely arranged. Actually, the entire train schedule was tapering off for the night. I got my train pass out of my purse, but Maes said it was okay for now. No one was going to be checking tickets in the dark. I said it was an awfully good opportunity for someone to cheat the system. Maes actually laughed.

Maes looked down the train schedule and said the next train headed straight to Central Station would be in about twenty minutes. He told Sig to leave the suitcases and go home to Grandma. There was still some staff watching the tracks. Sig left us. I stepped closer to Maes and looked over the train times with him.

"It's there," he said, pointing to the bottom of the board. "Central Station. Eight o'clock."

"Yeah," I said. I wagged my finger up and down at the times above it. "These will come before it, right?"

"Yes," said Maes. "But they don't go north."

"I get it."

I looked at the destinations. Lior, seven thirty—that one had already come. Desert Rail, seven fifty—that one would stop here in ten minutes and continue on to the east. But between those there was one at seven forty-five—Resembool. That one would come within five minutes.

I looked at Maes. "What's your home like?"

Maes put his bags down and beckoned me to join him on the bench. "My home?"

I sat. "In Resembool, right?"

Maes nodded, looking forward. "It's not like Central. It's not a big city. It isn't a city at all."

"Like a farm or something?"

"Something along those lines, I guess. It's very green. You don't have to have a yard to see grass." Maes smiled softly. "You don't have to plant trees for there to be trees. You don't have to dig trenches and fill them with water to have rivers. It just…happens."

"Alright, I get it. Resembool surpasses the laws of equivalent exchange."

Maes's eyes saddened a little around the edges, tight like he was trying not to look how he felt. "That's exactly right. I never thought of it that way. That's good."

"It's common sense," I said, inserting some humility.

"No," said Maes. "It's the Gate."

I folded my hands kind of too abrupt, remembering my mishap with Jake from earlier, how I'd finally used my abilities from said 'Gate.' Maes looked at me apologetic.

"Sorry," he said. "I won't talk about it anymore. That was a slip-up."

"Resembool sounds nice," I said. "It sounds really nice."

Maes nodded, turning his head forward again.

"I'll bet you've got a nice family," I said.

"Yeah." His voice was getting heavy and I was wondering what I was doing wrong.

"You've got a sister, right?"

"Sophie," he said. "She's a year younger. I was an accident, but my parents say they liked me so much that they decided they wanted another."

"And what? They had her and she inspired them not to have any more?" I laughed. "Brutal!"

Maes chuckled a little, so at least there was that. "That's a good point. I'll have to tell them to be careful how they word their story from now on."

"Maybe they just had two perfect kids and they decided trying for a third was pushing their luck."

"Maybe." Maes smiled a little longer than he had been. "Sophie's great. She's so much like my parents. She'll lose her temper over anything. I love watching them all together, yelling about dumb stuff like milk and automail maintenance. They're great."

"You don't fight?" I asked, hardly surprised.

Maes looked at me. "I guess not." He looked back at the tracks. "I think I started off too fragile to fight. And now, getting along with me is just a force of habit for them."

"It helps that you're pretty nice to people."

Maes nodded, kind of fond. "They always want me to take sides. Before I left, Dad was getting on Sophie's case about turning herself into a human pin-cushion. Her argument was that Mom had her ears pierced all over. Mom said getting her ears pierced wasn't the same as piercing the rest of her face."

"Your sister sounds awesome."

Maes smirked kind of proud. "I promised Sophie I'd let her break it to them about the ring on her belly button herself."

"No way!"

Maes laughed. "She did it at a friend's house two months ago. She swam in one-piece swimsuits all summer to hide it."

"That's downright clever!" I giggled. "And deceptive."

"Sophie's like that," Maes said with a sigh. "She'll do anything they say she can't do, or anything she thinks they'll say she can't do."

I felt pathetic. I'd always been such a kiss-up with my parents, so freaking obedient. I wondered if I should maybe get a tattoo sometime.

I could hear screeching in the distance, that sound the train made when it was slowing itself down on the tracks. I leaned off the bench, squinting through the dim post-lights at the tracks. I could see the round front light on the engine beaming down toward us on the rail. The clock at the ticket stand said quarter 'til.

"Right on time," I said under my breath.

Maes touched my hand. "This isn't us."

I kept my eyes on the coming train.

"You can sit back," said Maes. "Our ride won't be here for another fifteen minutes."

I watched the tracks get overtaken by the bulky steel machine. It chugged over them, hissing and belching until it came to a full stop. I looked at the board with the train schedule—Resembool, seven forty-five.

"Don't worry," said Maes. "It'll be here before you know it. You'll be home with your mom and dad before the sun comes out."

My legs popped me up to stand. The train kind of seemed impatient to me with the lack of night crowd.

"It's okay," said Maes. "There'll be another soon."

"Is it leaving?" I asked, watching it, its bulk and unlit windows.

"There's no reason for it to wait."

The whistle blew. Maes waved his hand in the air like he was saying goodbye to the conductor, he was signaling. The whistle stopped. The train hissed. The horn tooted into the quiet. My nostrils filled with traces of smoke from the coal. I sneezed.

"Alright," I said, rubbing under my nose with the side of my finger. "Home it is."

I shrugged my backpack and purse strap onto my shoulder and strode forward. The train had started to hiss into motion and I didn't want to have to jump for it. My heels clacked hard against the pavement. They clacked faster with every step.

"Nina, that's not us!" Maes said.

I knew he'd be hopping up and coming after me about now. I walked faster and prayed he was bringing his luggage with him, which he probably wasn't. I'd feel bad if he left his stuff behind in the middle of me forcing him to get on the wrong train.

"Nina!" he shouted. He sounded too close.

The train was going now, chugging, but it was still slow enough for me to grab the railing and pull myself on. I gripped hard to the cold handle, because I knew what was coming. I grounded my feet hard against the textured metal floor. Maes's hand grabbed my waist like I'd figured it would. I gripped the train harder as he ran alongside and fought to yank me off.

"Wrong train!" he yelled above the chugging. "Get off!"

"I know," I yelled back. "Get on."

He managed to get both hands grabbing at me and he jerked my body hard. One of my hands slipped off the handle and the other one came pretty close to letting go itself. I regained my grip with a racing heart. I could see the platform was about to end. Maes was going to kill me.

"Nina, no!"

"Maes, yes!"

I could kind of hear his breathing amidst the chugging and hissing and junk. He sounded kind of wheezy. The platform was coming to an abrupt end and the train was speeding up. Maes was being more stubborn than I'd wanted him to be.

"Get the hell off!" he yelled.

I kind of liked that he'd cursed at me. I watched the platform coming to an end. I decided to risk it. Hooking one elbow behind the handle on the train, I turned a little and grabbed Maes's hand off my waist. I forced my fingers to lace between his and locked our grips. The station's lights faded from Maes's stunned face. I watched him trip on the edge of the platform, watched him lose his footing all at once.

I held tighter to his hand, yanking him, throwing my weight to force him onto the train. The hand left on my waist gripped like a messy hug, holding me taught like my little body was a rescue-preserver. Maes stumbled forward. I unhooked my elbow from the railing just in time for him to fall forward onto the train floor and crush me sloppily with his full weight and momentum in one.

The tracks vibrated beneath us like a heartbeat. The car I'd climbed onto didn't have its lights turned on and the structure blocked all the moonlight. All I could really do was feel his tense body pressing me against the floor. His breaths sounded kind of labored in his chest from having to run after me. The train's movement made the air around us pulse. I choked on a breath and realized he was completely heavy.

"Maes," I said, "you're turning me into a pancake."

His weight lifted off of me. I coughed a couple times, feeling my face going warm. I could hear his boots thump across the car. Then a click. The car lit up all over as the lights at the metal ceiling flickered on.

I put my hands on my eyes, rolling onto my side. "That's really bright!"

"You did this on purpose," said Maes. His voice was too calm. He almost sounded hurt.

"Yeah," I said, blinking through my fingers to adjust. I sat up and looked at him standing by the switch. "Sorry about your luggage. At least you've got your ugly coat on you."

"Forget the luggage," he said. He was looking stern. "You said you wanted to go home."

"Yeah, see, 'home' is kind of a relative term—"

"What the hell are you doing to me?" He wasn't sounding so calm anymore.

I blinked. I sucked my lip. I leaned onto my knees and pushed myself up with my backpack and purse secure over my shoulder.

"That's the thing," I said, brushing the dirt and dust from my skirt. "This isn't about you right now."

He looked at me like I was really wrong and he could totally know that. I stepped past him to the seats and picked one at the front. I dropped my bags next to me because I figured keeping him from sitting next to me might get his attention, and maybe that would make him listen a little better. He did look a little affected, I'd give him that.

Maes came and sat across from me, sinking into the seat kind of tense and breathing like the air was too thick.

"Sorry I made you run," I said. "You don't sound too good."

"Doesn't matter," he said. "Why are we here?"

I made myself meet eyes with him. "That 'alchemy' I did…" His expression shifted a little. I'd gotten his attention straight away. "It wasn't your fault."

He looked a little disappointed that that was all I had to say. "Nina…"

"Seriously, Maes. It wasn't your fault, okay? I'm not being nice or anything." I looked at my hands. "What happened wasn't because I'd had some magic training or anything. It wasn't even close to that. The training had nothing to do with it. It was all just weird timing."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed because I wasn't sure he'd understand even if I explained. I figured he'd already pretty much decided not to understand. "With the training…When I was reading those books and talking about all those concepts and junk…Maes, I got it. I understood."

Maes was listening to me like he was reading a crime novel and he was trying to pick up clues as I went along.

"You and Grandma were helping me with the instruction manual so I could work the  
equipment on my own. That was training." I balled up my hands really tight then let them go loose on my lap. "It wasn't like that this evening. It was like I didn't even know I was doing it. I had no instruction manual. I had no control."

Maes knit his brow. "You didn't access it out of nowhere."

"I didn't," I said. "I had a memory. No—I relived a memory. That Jake guy hitting me and calling me 'bitch' sparked a memory from when I was a kid. It was bad. I was naked in a lab and one of the doctors was kicking me and calling me 'bitch.'"

Maes looked at me. "You remembered?"

I nodded.

He looked down at his knees. "And you reacted the way the Gate taught you to."

He put it kind of funny, but I guessed it sounded pretty accurate.

He spoke again. "Why won't you let me take you home?"

I threw my head back in frustration. "I already told you. Because it wasn't your fault, okay?"

Maes looked at me like that didn't explain anything but he wasn't sure he wanted to say it.

"Try to listen," I said. "You know a lot about alchemy, but I know me better than you do. Alchemy isn't my problem here. My problem is me. I've got all this equipment and I haven't read any of the instructions. So when something sets me off—like a slap in the face or someone calling me 'bitch'—my equipment runs wild and I have no hope in controlling it."

Maes kind of looked a little startled like I'd said something he wasn't expecting. He sat up a little.

I shrugged. "I shouldn't be running away from alchemy right now. What I should be doing is learning it." I laughed kind of bittersweet. "Maybe my parents hiding stuff from me and not wanting me to understand my abilities has protected me up until now, but it turns out I've been a ticking time bomb. Now that I 've seen how bad things can get when I'm not in control, I know I can't go home until I learn what exactly I'm dealing with here. My parents will just try to cover it up and stuff it down for later."

Maes had sat up more. His mouth was forming a smile. Miracle of miracles, the poor guy looked happy.

"Why didn't you tell me you didn't want to go back to Central?" he asked. His betrayed tone had totally shifted into something enthusiastic. "I would've understood."

"I figured you'd argue if I gave you too much time to think about it." I smirked. "And Grandma might've had her own take on it, you know?"

"You were dodging Izumi?" He sounded impressed.

"I'm still a little shaken up from earlier, you get me? Less thinking. More doing. That's what's working for me now. I didn't really have the time for second opinions."

"You're great." He was getting all excited for no reason. "You really want to come home with me?"

He made it sound awkward.

"Sure," I said.

He met my eyes. His gaze was charged like there was lighting inside of him. I felt his hand clasp around mine. I didn't look down. Just looked at the gold getting brighter in his eyes.

"You'll let me teach you?" he asked.

His voice was smiling, kind of broken like pieces of gratitude. I glanced at his hand squeezed around mine. He was holding onto me like he really wanted to keep holding. Apparently I was completely forgiven.

"Sure, Maes," I said with a laugh. "Teaching me was the whole point."

Maes's smile turned into a full-on grin. He pulled my hand up and kissed it like I was the princess who'd saved his farm. I felt my face flush around the bruises where I'd been hit.

"Sorry," he said, giving me back my hand nice and gentle. "It's just…I thought it was over."

I was flattered, but I had a lingering feeling that Maes was happy about more than just our merry little journey together.


	26. Chapter 26: Fibs, Facts, and the Unsaid

Author's Note: Hohenheim invented kindness.

Takara Yamato: Alright, so it's explained in detail in this story's prequel, so I didn't discuss it too deeply here. I can tell you in a nutshell that there were a few months in which Roy and Riza were forced to defect and did not believe they would be going back. That's when they got married. When they were able to rejoin, Grumman, knowing how indebted Amestris was to the Mustangs behind the scenes, happily turned a blind eye to any controversy over their marriage and threw his weight a little so everyone else would do the same. Once Roy became Fuhrer, no one would really mess with his marriage because of his status, so Roy and Riza were definitely in the clear from there. As to Nina, she is not their biological daughter. She was a lab subject in Drachma's former study to gain Flame Alchemy. Roy and Riza rescued her from that situation when she was around three years old and adopted her soon after. ...Wow, that was a long nutshell :P

mixmax300: Haha! No, I don't think Nina would let ANYONE force her home just yet, not even Maes.

Harryswoman: Yep.

SavFFLover: That's so funny, what you said about my posting times. Actually, I don't have enough time for writing during the day, usually, so I end up staying up until one or two in the morning to get a post out. We've got to be in different time zones. I'm psyched my wierd timing actually works for someone :)

Hawkstang: I like to joke that my parents didn't realize I was a bad kid until they started having the good ones. They felt so relieved after having my good little sister that they had two little brothers after her. It made them feel like they could make good things and I wasn't their fault :P

SakuraHarunaFan: Thanks! Your support is appreciated :D

Illovebooks: Ha! Go ahead and read this next chapter.

PhantomhiveHost: I think one reason my stories have such big emotional spectrums is because I'm a really emotional person. I'm not saying I'm moody or anything, but I don't feel things halfway :P

TheKingOfOkay: Hahahahaha! Yay! Another familiar commenter. Great to have you reading again :)

otakgirlyy: I've always thought a one-shot would be fun. I'll keep it in mind for later :)

Takara Rose Oizumi: Poor guys haven't even known each other for a full week and they're already having commitment issues, haha!

* * *

Chapter 26: Fibs, Facts, and the Unsaid

The ride to Resembool was way long. Like, the sun was out when we pulled up to the station. But I actually didn't have an issue with the length of the trip, because I slept through it. Pretty much all of it. Since leaving home—or pretty much since meeting Maes in general—I hadn't found it in me to sleep too much. I guessed it kind of caught up, because once I'd finally gotten things resolved with Maes, I ended up conking out like a light.

The only problem was the not waking up all night part. Usually I at least bolted up a few times and got some breaks between the nightmares. Sleeping on the train, though pretty much restful and refreshing, trapped me in the same dream for quite a few steady hours and gave it plenty of time to get worse. I woke up to the sound of my voice yelling about maggots in my eyes or something.

Maes was sitting next to me. Last I'd remembered he'd been sitting straight across. He'd put his God awful coat over me like a blanket and he had his arm around my shoulders making me feel too warm. He had his eyes fastened on me like he'd been keeping watch. I seriously hoped he hadn't. I'd even remembered my band-aids this time.

"You okay?" he asked gently.

I shoved him off. "I'm burning!"

"Your skin was cold earlier."

I pushed his coat off me onto the ground and rubbed my arms and thighs all over like I did after a dream about smothering out fire. I scrunched my hands in my hair, feeling for burnt off patches. It was all there, though, and my skin was feeling less like it had been scorched. I chewed hard on my lip and sat back, shutting my eyes and soaking up the morning. I was finally awake.

"Damn, Maes," I said. "Next time I start screaming like that, just give me a good shake and wake me up, already."

"Was that what I was supposed to do?"

I opened my eyes and looked to the side at him. He looked like he didn't know what to do with himself, pretty much similar to how my parents looked after a bad nightmare. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't worry about it," I said, scooting up in my seat. "It's not your job." I leaned forward and handed him his coat from off the floor. "Sorry I got snippy. I wasn't mad. I just felt like I was on fire for a second there, you know?"

"No, I don't."

"Oh."

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"I'm good now."

He still looked worried. I smiled nice and reassuring.

"So," I said, twisting to look out the window, "I see a lot of green."

"We're close," he said. He laughed a little to himself. "I'm starting to smell the sheep."

"Is that what that is?" I asked. The air was getting a little gamey on the edges.

"There's a pasture right before the station. You'll hear them bleating in a minute."

"I've never seen a sheep in person," I said.

Maes looked at me like he thought I might be joking. "Well, look out your window."

I turned my gaze. There was the green all over the place like he'd said, with the trees and what looked like maybe a stream in the distance. And right past the tracks, starting at the base of a hill, were a bunch of white fluffy balls chewing on grass behind a fence.

"Dear God! They're terrifying!" I laughed pretty hard, pointing at the puffy bleating messes. "Is that what those cute little lambs grow into? That fur of theirs could swallow a cow!"

Maes laughed behind me. "It's not fur. It's wool."

"Oh, gross. Like a wool sweater?" I gestured to the sheep as we passed them by. "That's what my winter-wear is knitted out of?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Holy crap! That's ridiculous!" I waved my hand goodbye to the sheep. "This is the best day of my life."

Maes looked at me kind of puzzled. "You really bounce back from your nightmares, don't you?"

I stared at him. "Well, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Do you have bad dreams often?"

I shrugged. "I don't remember ever having a good one."

He looked at me for a while like he was deciding how he was going to feel about it all. I smiled to help him decide to feel alright. He smiled back.

"You're really something," he said.

"I try," I joked, sitting superior-style.

He smiled soft and shook his head, kind of sincere. "No, you don't."

I didn't really blush this time, because I could've said the same for him.

I was a little wobbly coming off the train. Maes told me it was normal. I'd been sitting on my butt for hours without really doing anything besides that. It made sense I'd be a little disoriented and weak in the legs.

Maes didn't seem too affected at all. He'd been on his share of trains through the years. Even Maes being sick all the time hadn't stopped his dad from taking him cool places when he could.

"My mom's going to ask you what you want for dinner," said Maes, taking my backpack off my shoulder as we walked from the station and swinging it over his shoulder. He didn't have any of his own bags to carry anymore.

"What does she make?"

Maes smiled proudly. "Anything."

"That's way too broad."

"I'm serious," said Maes. "If she doesn't have the recipe, she'll call every number in her contacts until she finds someone who does."

"That's incredible," I said. "Alright…I want sheep casserole."

I looked over at him, expecting a laugh or at least a decent smile. His face wasn't really smiling at all, though. Actually he'd turned his eyes down and gotten distant like he wasn't even listening anymore. He slowed his pace a little and cringed. He stopped walking and rubbed his chest under his automail.

"Maes?"

He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. He coughed a little at the end. He let go of his chest and straightened.

He met my eyes. "I'm fine. Just a little sore from yesterday."

He started walking again. I walked with him. The road was completely dirt and clods were getting between my toes in my strappy shoes.

"Want me to take my backpack?" I asked.

He actually handed it over without a fight. I threaded my arm through the strap and looked at the sky. It looked mostly clear, but I caught a few clouds coming up in the distance. There weren't many, but they were a little too dark for comfort.

Maes was walking slower. I kind of got he wasn't exactly sore because of straining himself yesterday. I figured it was more like his chest was aching because of the weather. He was looking like he had back in Central when he'd had storm sickness. But I didn't say anything to him about it. I figured he just wanted to get home and go inside. Me bugging him about the weather would just slow us down.

Resembool was the greenest place I'd ever been in my life. It was like I could smell the infinite grass. And pretty much everything was unkempt. Like, no one bothered to mow their entire property because there was just too much of it. And the trees were huge! The trunks on some were four times wider than the very biggest trees around Central. It was like they'd been there for ages. The trees were older than my parents!

Maes did a good job of telling me the highlights; who his neighbors were, what the fields were growing, what the markets would sell on Wednesday and what was worth buying from who. I was impressed with how he went on. He was a little slower on his feet, but aside from that he acted pretty okay.

"There," he said, pointing to the end of the road. "We're right there. This house has been passed down my mom's side three generations. Sophie already claimed it for when she has a family."

"But you're the eldest," I said. I liked how the house actually had a white picket fence. "You get first dibs."

Maes shook his head. "No, I want the one next to it."

He pointed his arm to an empty hill next to the edge of a lake. My eyes scanned for a house, but all I saw on that hilltop was overgrown, burnt up space.

"I'm not seeing it," I said. I figured it was probably obvious and I was being dumb.

"Well, it needs a little work," said Maes. "My dad burned it down when he joined the military."

"On accident, right?" Because Maes didn't word it like an accident.

Maes shook his head like I thought he would. "The house carried bad memories. My dad didn't want to come back to them. So he erased them."

"But you want to bring it back?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Maes put his hands in his pockets, coming up on the white-washed gate. "Because I don't want it to end there."

I looked at his pockets and I could tell he was clenching his fists. I stole a look at the sky. The clouds were collecting into something a little overcast.

"I'll get that gate for you," I said.

He didn't fight me on it. I went ahead of him with his hands still stuck in his pockets and lifted the latch on the gate to swing the thing open. It was kind of cool. My gates back home were made of iron bars and were all double my height with four guards posted on either side. I realized I'd never opened a gate for myself in my life.

I stepped onto the path to the house. Maes came behind me.

"You have to go first," I said, slowing. "I don't want them seeing some strange girl coming up on their lawn without you to back me up."

"Fair enough," he said, coming next to me.

I felt a fresh breeze on my face for a second and heard an immediate muffled gasp from Maes. I turned to him. He had his hand on his chest again. The wind was blowing the clouds in our direction. So it really was going to rain after all. I was impressed Maes had sensed it so early. I figured he'd probably be better off going inside as quick as he could get there.

"Come on," I said.

I pulled his hand out of his pocket and held his arm nice and tight. He held on, walking slower now. We got to the front step and he paused. I thought he was going to cringe again or something, but he just looked at the door.

"Don't tell my parents," he said. He tilted his gaze to the overcast sky and swallowed hard like he was swallowing down the pain. "They'll worry."

"Yeah, sure," I said, though I didn't see how that would solve anything. "I know how to pretend."

Maes reached his hand out and knocked on the door. It was mildly early, but Maes's parents were early risers, or at least that was he'd said. I'd told him I would've been a late riser if I'd had the choice. Dumb nightmares were my freaking built-in alarm clock.

I heard the door unlock from the other side and my heart skipped a beat. I held Maes's arm tighter. Suddenly meeting his family was way intimidating considering they knew everything there was to know about me, which was more than I knew. Maes squeezed back.

"Thank you for coming with me, Nina," he said quietly.

The door opened just a little at first, then almost immediately swung open all the way. A gorgeous lady with blonde hair hanging loose behind her back and a blue apron tied crooked around her waist gave a little joyful squeal and practically dove at Maes. She reached up to hug her arms around his neck, separating my hold on his arm, and kissed his face all over. Maes hugged her back, smiling big.

"Hi, Mom," he said. "Looking good."

This was Winry Elric? She was dang young! I kind of got what Maes had meant by him being an 'accident.'

"Maesy! Oh, sweet boy. You're early."

"Sorry. I know you like me to call ahead."

She swept his hair from his eyes with her fingers. "I just wanted you home."

I watched him wince as she squeezed him. She didn't notice. She didn't even check the sky.

"Hey, I'm Nina," I said. I walked forward, hoping to crowd 'Mom' into letting Maes inside a little. "I'm Mustang's kid."

Winry released Maes on the spot and stepped back to get a look at me. Maes took the opening to get through the door so he wouldn't get stuck in a doorway reunion.

"You're really here," Winry said in disbelief, the same disbelief Maes had had. "Maes said you were coming, but I wasn't sure you'd make it the whole way. Something always gets in the way."

"Can I come in?" I asked, kind of feeling rude. But poor Maes was apparently trying to act normal, so he wasn't making her close the door and shut the weather out.

Winry grabbed my hand with her delicate fingers and pulled me in with Maes. "Honey, get the door. Your dad's not going to believe this!"

Maes shut the door with his foot. "Mom, just a second. Don't get Dad up yet."

I looked back at Maes as his mom pulled me forward. He had his hand on his chest again, kind of stationary. It kind of looked like he wanted to talk but he was having trouble talking for the moment.

"Ed's been up for an hour," Winry said, dragging me. "His stump's been aching a lot lately. It woke him up."

"No," said Maes, letting go of his chest. He walked forward and grabbed my other hand before we could make it down the hall. "That's not what I meant."

Winry let go of me and turned to Maes kind of confused.

"Honey, are you feeling alright? You look pale."

Maes was clenching his hand in his pockets again, talking stiff.

"She doesn't know about him yet," he said.

Now Winry looked pinched and suspicious. "Doesn't know?"

"She didn't come for him."

"Wait," I said, looking back and forth between them. "Who didn't I come for, again?"

Maes met my eyes like he was in a lot of pain, but not just from the storm.

"Did I screw something up again?" I asked. "Seriously, just say it. I won't get defensive."

Winry touched his shoulder, "Maes…?"

"I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do," he said to me softly, shaky. "My job was to get you to him. The rest isn't up to me."

Him? 'Him' could be a hamster named Ted for all I knew. I was damn sick of everything going over my head. And now I had to wait for the king of storm sickness to clarify it for me. I put my hands on my hips and leaned on one leg more than the other.

"Dang it, Maes! Just open your mouth already."

Maes shook his head. "I didn't lie when you asked me why I agreed to kidnap you. I do like you. I promise I wasn't lying—"

"He just wasn't telling you the whole story, right kiddo?" an energetic voice called from further down the hall.

Maes straightened and Winry perked up too. I looked down the hall with them. On the wood I could hear weirdo footsteps, going in threes. First the padded thump of a bare foot. Then came the clink of something heavy like the metal clank of the automail in Rush Valley. Finally there was a tap like wood against wood, like a cane.

It went like that. Thump, clink, tap. Thump, clink, tap. The steps got louder and came out from one of the doors at the end of the hall. And out stepped Maes—only about twenty years older with a metal foot, a limp, and a golden ponytail at the back of his head. He came down the hall holding a cane tapping with him like a third leg. Full…metal?

"You shouldn't be up, Dad," said Maes. "I didn't mean for you to…"

Maes closed his mouth early so he could clench his teeth and keep his face straight. I could see his fingers flexing like he was fighting really hard not to reach up and clutch his chest. Fullmetal looked at me before he could catch Maes struggling. He was paler than I'd imagined him, kind of gaunt. I'd kind of imagined him broad and muscular like my dad. But he looked almost weak.

"Hey, Mr. Elric, you feeling okay?" I asked.

Fullmetal smiled like I wasn't as great as he'd remembered me being. "Have you had breakfast yet, Nina?"

"I'll make you some toast," said Winry.

She put her hand out to me again. I didn't take it. I looked at Maes and decided whatever they were so grave about not telling me could wait. Maes had gripped his stomach and was clutching it so tight his arm was shaking. I watched him fight himself, his hand sliding up toward his automail.

"Maes," said Fullmetal, kind of distracted, "come talk to me."

Maes shook his head. "She doesn't remember any of it, Dad. She would have said she couldn't help us. She wouldn't have come…" Maes winced a little on accident. He immediately pulled his hand away from his stomach, straining himself to look alright.

"She doesn't remember any of it?" asked Fullmetal, kind of appalled-looking.

Winry looked really sad. "We'll find someone else."

"There is no one else," said Maes. "She can help you, Dad. She just doesn't know it yet."

Fullmetal paced frailly to Maes, shaking his head. "This doesn't fall on you, Maes."

"Like hell it doesn't!"

Maes's face was angry, furious, but I couldn't place who he was angry at. It wasn't his sick daddy— I could tell that much. I wondered if maybe it was me. Then I caught the shame, the underlying guilt that had been disguising itself as pain all in his eyes. Was he getting angry at himself? Nope. He was angry that no one was getting angry at him. That sounded like Maes.

Fullmetal put his hand on Maes's shoulder. "Let's talk about this in the library."

Maes shuddered a little and I kind of saw it coming when I heard the rain hit the window.

"Don't make her go home," said Maes. He was panting and his parents were looking kind of startled by it. "Please don't…"

Winry tried to meet his eyes. "Maes?"

Fullmetal rubbed his stump like he was scratching a bug bite, kind of clueless that he might not be the only one in the room that was sore.

I stepped up and grabbed Maes's arm, shoving past his parents. "Hey, cool it, okay? I'm twenty-one years old. I'll leave when I want and I'm not leaving until I get my alchemy under control. Whatever the heck else you need from me after that we can talk about later. Sound good?"

Maes looked at me with his eyes really relieved at what I'd said, but the rest of his face wouldn't cooperate. He grimaced and dropped to his knees. He took me down with him because I was hooked tight to his arm. He had his hand balled up and pressing under his ribs and he was coughing too fast like he was in a room full of smoke.

"Maes!" Winry cried, kneeling.

Fullmetal dropped his cane and knelt next to her. Maes gritted his teeth, breathing heavy to keep from groaning. So, he did it in front of his parents too. They seemed to know full well he was containing himself. Winry got up and ran off into another room, probably getting something out of a mom-bag that would help Maes feel better. I didn't see what else could have pulled her away. Fullmetal put his hand on Maes's feverish head and rubbed Maes's cheek with his thumb.

"Go," Maes said, looking at his dad through squinty eyes. "You can't be up with the rain…"

Maes closed his eyes and squeezed my arm really tight, cutting off my circulation. A dribble of red bled from his nostril and trickled down his lip, dripping onto the floor. The rain poured down on the tiled roof and I heard the soft rumble of thunder surface from far away. Maes trembled. Beads of wet leaked from his closed eyes as they watered from the strain.

I looked at Fullmetal. Weak and pale as he was, he seemed untouched by the increase in rain.

"Doesn't it hurt you?" I asked.

Fullmetal shook his head, looking sad with his eyes on his son. "Not like this."

"Dad…" Maes said.

"Mom's coming back with soda water."

"Don't have to puke," Maes said. He coughed. He shifted his eyes to me. "Nina needs me to..."

"Later, son."

"Yeah, I'm good for now," I said. "Seriously, I'm cool with you guys having ulterior motives with me coming over here. I was actually scared when you said the only reason you brought me along was because you thought I was 'great.' I was kind of dreading the moment you realized I wasn't as 'great' as you thought."

The thing was, I didn't even have to pretend to be sincere about it. Maes toting me around for no better reason than my 'amazing personality' had just seemed sketchy, no matter how stellar we got along. It was good to know they had a secret purpose for me and I wasn't some kind of random expendable guest. Really, I'd kind of been guessing as much.

Maes managed to look grateful even with his face twisted up in pain. "You're great," he said, coming up with a quivering smile.

"Thank you, Nina," said the Fullmetal Alchemist. He looked at me like he'd meant it.

"No problem, Mr. Elric." I raised my eyebrows. "Do I get to call you 'Uncle Ed'?"

Fullmetal grinned like I'd caught him off guard. His grin was wide and toothy, kind of like how Maes smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "Just like old times."

The thunder rolled a little louder this time and the rain burst down hard enough like it could shatter glass. Maes hunched forward on his hands and knees and clutched deep into his stomach. He shivered all over, so violently that for a split second he lost his ability to mute himself and a sharp groan escaped through his teeth. He closed his lips tight, smothering the cry.

"Maes," said Fullmetal, holding his son's shoulder, "can you stand up, buddy? I want to get you away from the windows."

Maes breathed harder. He clutched his stomach tighter and forced words out.

"Going to be sick," he said.

"Winry!" Fullmetal yelled across the house. "Forget the seltzer. He needs a bucket!"

I remembered Maes's description of storm sickness after I'd seen his automail in Rush Valley. He'd talked about his dad vomiting from the pain. I should have figured that would apply to poor Maes as well.

I looked next to the door and caught sight of one of those hefty urns used to jam umbrellas into when you come in from the rain. I got up and hurried over to the thing and dumped out the brollies all over the welcome mat. Maes lurched a little, wincing big time. The base of his palm was digging into his stomach so hard that I wondered if he wasn't making himself throw up.

I shoved the umbrella-urn in front of him.

"Presto," I said. "Go ahead and toss your cookies."

It was like he was actually taking it as an order. He took the urn by the rim and puked down into it nice and steady. His dad held his shoulder. I instinctively rubbed his back. Winry ran in with a plastic trash bucket. She saw she'd gotten there late and dropped the bucket to come sooth her baby herself. Maes coughed on bile for a second before letting out a half-groan and falling into another series of harsh vomiting.

"Sorry about your umbrella holder," I said, scooting to the side so Winry could take over rubbing his back like a good mama.

"No," she said. "You're a brave girl to deal with this."

I felt darn honored. "No problem. I know what it's like. I used to get all kinds of bugs back in grade school." Though I highly doubted a common stomach bug could compete with what Maes was going through.

"Winry, we need to get him to his room," said Fullmetal.

"You're not lifting him," Winry said pretty firm. "Don't even think about it, Ed."

"He can't make it to his feet."

Maes swallowed, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

"I'll get Sophie up," said Winry.

"I'm already up!" griped a high-pitched girly voice from upstairs. "Jeez, Maes. Way to make an entrance."

She stomped down the stairs like a stampeding rhino, messily clad in skimpy black jammies and porcupine blonde bedhead. I was assured right away by the stud in her nose and the ring on her eyebrow. She was Maes's amazing baby sister.

"Don't let him…" Maes said to her in faint stutters, "Don't let Dad help me."

"Of course not," Sophie said, coming over to our huddle on the floor. "Dad's not that stupid."

She folded her arms and glared down at Fullmetal like he totally was that stupid.

"You just had to get my brother worked up, didn't you?" She tapped her dad with her bare toe. "You know he hates to see you on your feet."

Fullmetal frowned sourly, kind of like a kid. "I feel fine. Just a little tired."

Sophie stepped around her dad to squat next to Maes. She hugged her big brother tight, even though he'd just been puking his guts out into the umbrella vase in his hands. Now that was love.

"Let's get you to your room," Sophie said. "Nina and I can hang out while you sleep it off."

Maes nodded thankfully. Winry patted his back with a tender smile. Maes gulped.

"Going to be sick," he said in a gasp.

Sophie scooted back and freed him up to do his thing. I kind of felt out of place, sitting around on the floor watching the family go through Maes's vomiting process like it was second nature.

It was pretty much horrible how much harder Maes's automail was on him than I'd realized. Watching him tear up from the pain made all my issues from the Gate seem kind of trivial. I'd gathered that Fullmetal wasn't entirely healthy at present and Maes had brought me over to fix that somehow, but right then I kind of just wanted to make Maes better.

Eventually Sophie and Winry were able to maneuver Maes down the hall to his room. He had the only room in the house without windows; apparently getting close to windows during rain made the storm sickness harder on him.

Once Maes got to his room he let himself moan a little more freely and Fullmetal and I just sat in the hall listening. I could hear Winry and Sophie's muffled voices speaking inaudible words of comfort to him. I was kind of ashamed of myself for not feeling any pain at all with the rain.

Fullmetal stayed where he was, just staring down the hall in silence. I looked over him. He really was thin, as thin as Maes, but it didn't look natural on him. His face was pulled, tight over his features like there almost wasn't enough flesh on him to stretch over his bones. His eyes were sunken in a little, bruised-looking like he hadn't gotten enough sleep in a long time.

Lightening lit the hallway. Thunder crashed. Maes groaned from his room. Fullmetal winced at the sound.

"Is it always like this?" I asked.

Fullmetal was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, every time."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"When the rain stops."

Fullmetal reach for his cane. I kind of wondered if I should be stopping him as he propped himself up on it and pulled himself into standing. He took a deep breath, gaining balance on his weak-looking legs. He took another deep breath like maybe he wasn't actually ready to take a step just yet. I sat back on my butt and hugged my knees so I could watch him from the ground. I saw why Maes and the rest of his family seemed so worried. If this was a good day for Fullmetal, I dreaded to picture what a bad day would look like. He looked absolutely deteriorated. I sucked my lips.

"Uncle Ed?" I said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"You used to look like Maes, didn't you?"

He looked kind of sad when I said it, but sad like it wasn't exactly a fresh wound to him. "Yeah."

My head felt a little heavy like it didn't want to look at him anymore. I forced myself to meet eyes with him. Now was no time for feeling awkward.

"So," I said, pushing my voice out steady, "are you sick?"

Again, that sad look. "Yeah."

I nodded. "Are you…" My chest got a little tight. My body didn't want to say it. I bit hard on my lip and looked down at my knees. "Are you dying, Uncle Ed?"

I didn't look up, but I assumed he was looking as sad as ever. He didn't say anything for a good long while and I kind of wondered if I should just look up and apologize for asking. His silence was enough of an answer in itself.

Finally he replied, "Yes, Nina. I'm dying."

Even though I'd kind of guessed his answer, hearing him say it out loud with his own voice hit me hard. I squeezed my knees, curling into a tight little Nina-ball. I bit my lip because I figured that was better than letting myself cry for then. Suddenly I really wanted to call my dad and tell him I loved him.

"Damn," I said into my knees.

I heard Fullmetal laugh kind of quiet. "My sentiments exactly."

I blinked hard. I dared to look up at him. He was still looking down the hall toward Maes's room, listening to him groan.

"All he worries about is you," I said. "And all you worry about is him, apparently. Maybe you two should switch bodies for a while and worry about yourselves for a change. Trying to take care of each other at your own expenses seems counterproductive."

Fullmetal raised his eyebrows like I'd said something he hadn't expected. "You have a point."

For a second he wobbled on his stick. He caught himself, but I got up and grabbed his arm anyway to keep him from wobbling again. He pulled away a little like he thought he was good without me, but I held on.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Don't be one of those awkward independent cripples," I said. "You got a chair somewhere I can plant you in?"

He looked a little patronized, but he replied civil anyway. "The room I came out of. Go ahead and help me to my desk."

Fullmetal was about a foot taller than me, and even limping around bent over like he was, he still pretty much towered. Even so, it wasn't all that hard escorting him down the hall, even when he leaned on me. He did weigh a little more than he looked, but that really didn't amount to much.

"So," I said as I worked to keep him from straining himself as we walked, "how long do you have before you…?"

"We don't know," he replied, kind of defeated.

"Months?"

"I hope so."

I chewed my lips. I'd been chewing them so much lately that they were starting to get raw around the edges.

We went through the door of the room he'd wanted. The whole thing was absolutely lined with bookshelves, not a space on them empty. There was a big old desk in the middle with a nice looking desk chair pulled out behind it. I helped Fullmetal over. He had a freaking personal library for an office. I was really jealous. The only library I'd ever gone to was run by the Amestrian military.

Fullmetal sank into the desk chair—more like an easy chair with wheels at the bottom to scoot in with. He set his cane on the ground next to him for easy access. I stood there, fresh from being helpful. I suddenly had no place in the house.

I smiled kind of awkward. "Well…you're welcome."

"That bruise on your face…" said Fullmetal. "It looks new."

I touched my cheek and applied enough pressure to make it hurt a little to remind me it was there. I felt myself flushing and I really wanted to make it stop.

Fullmetal smirked. "Let me guess? Maes introduced you to Teacher, didn't he?"

Teacher? I decided to let it rest.

"A stranger hit me in the street," I said.

Fullmetal stopped smirking. "Where was Maes?"

"Inside," I said. "Don't worry, Uncle Ed. I took care of it."


	27. Chapter 27: Sophie Elric is a Romantic

Author's Note: I'm sorry. I'm not replying to reviews for this post. It's six in the morning and I need sleep :(

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Chapter 27: Sophie Elric is a Complete Romantic

Aunt Winry was too busy soothing Maes to bother with making me toast or whatever, so Sophie grabbed us a handful of butterscotch candies out of a jar in the window and called it 'breakfast of champions.' She went to her dad in his library before she took me up to her room to make sure he was comfy. She practically force-fed him some hefty pills out of a bottle, then shoved a milk in his face and said, "Drink it or I'll tell mom what really happened to her favorite drill set."

The look on his face as he forced the milk down was priceless. It was the same look my dad got when his friends teased him about being a total failure in the rain—pure murderous intent but powerless in bringing it about.

The first thing Sophie said to me when the two of us entered her room was, "This is where my brother and I were born. My mom and dad used to have this room, but they had to take my old room next to Maes when Dad got too sick to climb the stairs. So now I'm stuck with the mattress my parents made babies on."

One thing was for sure; she'd definitely decorated for it to look otherwise. She had the curtains decked out in dark red lace and her bed-skirt had silver spikes for a fringe. Amongst the cut-out pictures from weird fashion magazines and modern-art journals was a giant poster labeled "State Alchemist: Fullmetal."

The picture on the poster looked a lot like Maes straight down to the ugly red coat, but the guy in the poster was a lot more 'compact' and had a metal hand giving a thumbs-up through his sleeve. I liked the braid though. Maes could have gotten away with growing his hair long if he'd wanted to.

"Wow," I said. "Maes told me his dad had gotten his arm back, but it's weird seeing an old picture with the automail." I'd totally just helped Fullmetal to his study holding his Portal-arm.

"Hey," said Sophie, taking a seat on her unmade bed, "turn in a circle."

I turned in a circle.

Sophie laughed. "Sweetheart of Amestris my ass. You're a babe!"

My face got kind of warm. "Thanks...?"

She beckoned me over to sit with her. "You don't look as polished as your poster. I like you better this way. The billboards look too…clean."

So…I looked dirty? I sat on the silky black comforter and kind of missed my mom a little.

Sophie folded her hands like she was about to say grace. "Maes talked to me the day you two ran into each other in Central Square. Did he tell you that?"

"He said he had 'obligations.'"

"He called and told me he was pretty sure you didn't remember The Truth," she said. "Not any of it. That should have been the end."

"How would he know? It's not like we got chummy and talked about it." I was definitely coming off as defensive.

"Maes has a sense for things. He just does. You've known him for a week. You should have picked up on it by now."

"Sure, sure."

"It's my fault," said Sophie. "He was going to come home and try to find another way, but I told him to take you against your will if he had to. I said maybe if you just saw our dad in person then maybe we could guilt you into trying to remember The Truth. Maes didn't want to force you since alchemy can be a risky business when you start going into unknown territory, but I told him just to get you here and you could make up your mind from there."

Things were apparently not as simple and spontaneous as I'd thought. Not in the slightest.

"You have to understand," said Sophie, "that Maes and I have to fix this. Maes spoke to me on the phone the day after you got to Rush Valley. He said you'd seen his automail and he'd had to tell you about his lungs. But he left something out."

"Please don't tell me Maes is about to expire too!"

Sophie kind of smiled. "No, but nice guess. It sure seems that way sometimes." She looked at me a little nervous. "I'm going to tell you a story."

I shifted on the bed to get comfy.

Sophie began her monologue. "There once was a brave boy who made a mistake and had to join the military to make things right again. That was all he wanted, just to fix what he'd done. He didn't care about what happened to him as long as no one else got hurt. But that got him into trouble, because he had a bad habit of helping people and, in time, he was sucked into the heart of a war that many grown soldiers weren't able to survive. But the boy made it out alive and he risked his life a thousand times to make certain that the people he cared about made it out alive with him."

That part I'd more or less already heard.

Sophie continued. "The boy smiled on his way out from Central. He didn't say what had happened that his friends hadn't seen. He didn't say what had gone on behind the scenes that even his younger brother hadn't been around to know about. He didn't show off his scars, didn't tell the stories behind each one. He left quietly and didn't come back. He left them all with a happy ending. And for a while that was enough. The boy grew into a man and married the woman he'd always loved. And every time he got sick, he got better."

Sophie looked excited like talking about it would make everything go back to being okay. But then she sank a little and looked at her lap.

"But then he and his wife had a baby," said Sophie. "They had the most wonderful baby in the world. They would joke about how it was a mystery how the two of them could produce something so perfect. The only problem was, the baby had come too early. It wasn't much, but the mother had lost a lot of weight from morning sickness during her pregnancy and had had trouble gaining it back. Because the mother was so thin, the baby had already been weak before he was born. It wasn't fair. He was the light in everyone's lives. Of all the people in the world, he was the one who was born to die. It didn't make sense. To any of us!"

Sophie looked so mad she could cry. I thought about hugging her but I wasn't too sure she was a hugger.

She calmed herself down and continued a lot more subdued. "Maes was always sick. As far back as I could remember he'd never had a day free from illness. Even on his best days he didn't stand a chance to run around with me and the other kids. Did he tell you he didn't make it past the sixth grade?" I tried not to look skeptical. "He could barely walk to school. Half the time my dad would carry him. It was a miracle he was able to come as much as he did. Really, the teachers were being kind just to put it on record that he'd completed each grade rather than holding him back. He missed so much school that any other student would've had to repeat the grade. I guess he was so smart that they didn't see any reason to hold him back. To be honest, he could have gone to college by then if he hadn't been so sick. It tore my dad up. Since he'd given up his door, he had no way to find a way to heal my brother with alchemy, or at least give him a boost. I remember overhearing him telling my mom he was a terrible person for regretting giving up his alchemy. He'd known things wouldn't be as easy, but not like this."

"What about your Uncle Al and Aunt Mei? They do alchemy junk, right? And your Grandma."

"My dad was called the Fullmetal Alchemist for a reason. His alchemy was heavily based on understanding the table of elements and their interactions, particularly metals. His transmutations seemed basic compared to Flames and Freeze, but the science behind them was incredibly complex and it came like second nature to him."

"Very cool." Now she was just bragging on him. And she hadn't answered my question about her uncle at all.

"But metal wasn't my dad's strongest point."

I perked up a little. "Yeah, really? What, then?"

"Life."

"So…he was good at 'Life'?"

Sophie smiled. "People see a portion of the Truth when they go through the Portal. Behind an alchemist's door lies every secret alchemy has to offer. My dad and my uncle came up with this theory after observing those who had committed the taboo that not only do the amount of secrets an alchemist sees vary, but also which secrets are revealed to them. The Gate draws you through the things it deems you worthy to understand, what you can best utilize. Grandma's alchemy became incredibly powerful and bold because of her strong will to fight to protect; her alchemy is fearless. My uncle's alchemy can utilize the most insignificant material into unfathomable transmutations. His alchemy concentrates on making the most out of every reconstruction; he sees value in everything, potential no one else sees."

I really had to ask. "What about my dad?"

"I wouldn't know. My dad hasn't seen him use his alchemy since the Promised day. If I had to guess, I'd say Uncle Sparky would've seen the Truth behind control. As a ruler, his alchemy wouldn't be for him anymore. It would be for Amestris and every country Amestris has influence on. I'd say he'd have better control over his alchemy than any other alchemist on the map. His alchemy would be more powerful having gone through the Gate, but all the more reason to understand the precise force necessary in every strike."

I felt my hand on my cheek and realized I was touching the place my dad had stopped short of slapping me. He'd swung pretty hard, but he'd barely touched me when he'd made it to my face. I kind of wondered if the Gate had anything to do with that. Not really likely, but it was kind of nice thinking the Gate wasn't all bad.

I cleared my throat. "So, I was wondering why your uncle didn't just heal Maes…"

"I'm getting to that," said Sophie, taking her merry time. "As I said, my dad specialized in life, more like the flow of life."

All is one and one is all and blah-blah-blah, I said in my head.

Sophie rambled on. "Did you know he went through the Portal three times? It's an achievement just to make it through once, but to go through a Human Transmutation circle three times and come out alive is supposed to be impossible. My dad had gone through three times by the time he was sixteen. He figured out anomalies behind the Gate and the principles of alchemy through sheer understanding, secrets that would have taken master alchemists years to grasp, even with all the books and research behind it sitting on their desks. It came so easy to my dad that he couldn't fathom that not everyone could think the way he did. I think that's where things went wrong." Sophie sighed like she was gearing up for saying something that was hard to say. "When Maes was twelve, he got checked into the children's hospital in Dublith and we were soon informed by the doctors there that he wouldn't be checking out. It was time to call it quits and say goodbye. Uncle Alphonse and Aunt Mei hurried onto the Dessert Rail from Xing to see what they could do to extend his life. But the Desert Rail was still fairly new back then and trains from Xing all the way across the desert were few and far between and tickets were very competitive. Plus, Aunt Mei was five months pregnant and travel was hard on her. It was a very real possibility that they might not make it on time. Besides that, Uncle Al and Aunt Mei were amazing alchehestrists, but alchehestry can't save everyone and Maes was very sick. Maes quickly caught on to how shattered we were over the news. Over the next few days he managed to sketch out a design for automail that could support his lungs. But there was something else he sketched out before that. See, his lungs were damaged and would give out soon enough, but even fixing them would not fix the fact that he'd gotten too sick already and even with improved breathing he would not get better. So my dad sat down with him and they discussed the old story that Mom doesn't like to hear, the one about Baschool when my dad fell into a collapsed mine shaft and got impaled by a steel bar. A friend pulled the bar out and my dad healed himself with his own life force. He used himself as his own Philosopher's Stone."

"Maes mentioned something about that…I think." But he hadn't mentioned this much. That was for sure.

"Maes told my dad he wanted to try it on himself. He said he'd already figured out the circle since he hadn't been through the Gate and couldn't perform alchemy without a circle. Maes just needed my dad to look over it before he performed it. Dad was the only one who'd been capable of performing it before and Maes was convinced he'd be able to help him to do it for himself." Sophie laughed but she looked like she was more interested in crying. "He must have been in delirium if he thought running it by our dad was a good idea. Dad flew off the handle, angrier at Maes than I'd ever seen him. My mom and I could hear Dad from the waiting room. All that time of being powerless, watching his son die and being convinced it was somehow his fault, sacrificing everything to the military and having nothing left for his family, all of it just burst out at once. Mom and I came in and Dad was still shouting about what an idiot Maes was for even thinking about using his own life force, how "Damn selfish" Maes was for not getting better, how Maes had it easy because he wasn't the one who'd be left behind to mourn." Sophie folded her arms. "That idiot! Mom and I tried to calm Dad down, but that just made him angrier. Mom started crying. One of the nurses came in then ran out to get a doctor. I started screaming at Dad that he was making it worse for everyone. We were all so busy getting angry at each other and at ourselves that we just assumed Maes would be in bed waiting his turn to speak like always. It never even occurred to us that he'd be stupid enough to…" Sophie's face crumpled a little. She put her hand on her mouth, breathed deep, and smoothed her expression. "We didn't think he'd actually get out of bed. But then I heard his coughing and turned and he was walking over, telling us to stop it. He'd probably been saying it from his bed, but his voice was too faint to hear over the yelling. Mom and Dad were still fighting too much to notice him coming. I started over to him, but then Dad was stepping back and he flung his arms out in frustration, saying something like, "What do you want, Winry?" And that was that." Sophie hugged her arms. "Maes was within range of Dad's swing and I got to him too late. Dad hit him hard in the chest and Maes went down coughing blood. By the time we realized what exactly had happened, that it wasn't just a nightmare, Maes was pushing onto his feet again and staggering to our dad. I remember how much Maes's legs were shaking when he held onto my dad. He was so thin you could see his spine through his pajamas. He was coughing so hard I kept thinking, 'This is it. He's going to die. Maes is really going to die this time.'" Sophie was looking upset; like the furious, bitter kind of upset. "But he didn't die. He stopped and he said, "It's okay, Daddy. I'm still here. You can be angry if you want to. I don't mind." When I got a look at my brother's face, he was smiling. He held onto my dad, looked up at him, and smiled. He used the last of his strength to smile at that dumbass. Then he spit up blood all down his chest and his eyes rolled back and he collapsed in my dad's arms. The doctors said he had hours to live."

I suddenly realized what an improvement Maes's chest-automail and storm sickness was to his former situation. Of all times, Sophie started crying for real for a second. I mean, she actually sobbed. The sound of it penetrated me a little and all the sudden I could feel my own sob coming up in my throat. I swallowed it down. Sophie did that thing she'd done before where she covered up her mouth and breathed a little and she was good. We were both good. Her face smoothed and she talked on.

"I was so mad at my dad I could have knocked him out." Sophie looked down. "We tried to contact my Uncle and Aunt, but they hadn't even made it over the desert yet. There was no way they would make it in time. We tried to reach Grandma Izumi, but Dad had sent her and Sig to Central a week back to call on Doctor Marcoh thinking that maybe the doctor might have something up his sleeve that could help Maes get better. Grandma and Sig still hadn't come home. They wouldn't have gotten back in time even if they left right then." Well, that had certainly backfired. "There was nothing left. Nothing." Sophie looked at me. She looked like it was hard for her to keep looking, like she was ashamed of herself or something. "Except, there was Maes's circle."

"The special 'life force' circle?"

Sophie nodded.

"But he was passed out. He couldn't use it."

Sophie's face crumpled a little. "But I could."

I sat up taller on the bed. "You gave Maes your life force? How?"

She shook her head. "Not mine."

"Then…"

"My dad. He couldn't do the transmutation himself, so he asked me to help him. We did it while my mom was in the bathroom. We both knew she'd be against it, so we had to hurry. I should have been against it too, but I was so mad at my dad for what had happened to Maes that I guessed sucking a few years out of Dad's lifespan served him right."

"How would that work? If he couldn't use alchemy…?"

"I used him as a Philosopher's stone," she said, meeting my eyes out of duty. "My dad drew the circle Maes had figured out for the transfer, right onto Maes's chest. He put his hands on Maes and he told me to put my hands on his hands. Then he talked me through it, how I was supposed to manipulate my dad as material to save my brother's life. I did a pretty good job. We saw immediate results. Maes's breathing didn't look as weak. Color came back into his face. Dad and I got excited and he told me to keep going. Mom came back to the room from the bathroom in time to see Maes open his eyes. Me and my dad took our hands away and Mom came next to Maes with us. For a little while we just smiled and cried and held his hands. Then my dad got this look on his face, like he'd been punched in the gut and had the wind knocked out of him. We asked him what was wrong, but he didn't answer. He was wearing a black shirt so it was hard to tell at first, but when he held his side like it hurt him, I could see the blood on his fingers." Sophie frowned. "Apparently I got the right results out of the transmutation, but I didn't channel Dad's life force correctly. Instead of taking from his total inner life force, I drew from the life force he'd already used to close his wounds in Baschool. I more or less transferred the life force Dad had already utilized for himself to my big brother. It wasn't much of a transmutation at all. Just a novice's transaction. There was a reason no one but my father had ever attempted to use their own life force as a Philosopher's Stone." Sophie smiled bitterly, like she was smiling at someone she was going to kill. "It was a good thing we were already at a hospital, because if my dad had been seen to any later than he was, he probably would have bled to death. Maes was weak, but he was awake. He caught on to what had happened fairly quickly. The nurse had to put him in restraints to keep him from trying to get up again. Maes kept telling me and Mom that he had to let him see Dad. He had to give him his life force back. He got himself so worked up that the doctor had him sedated for his own safety. Maes woke up about a month later with the automail in his chest and an invalid for a dad with damaged organs, prone fail one by one until it killed him."

"That's not fair," I said. I meant it.

"What's unfair is that there's no way for Maes or me to fix it by our own power. Obviously I'm not nearly good enough to risk messing with life forces again. Maes can't do it because even with our dad's donated life force, his own life force is too unstable to attempt healing our dad by any means. It would be dangerous for our dad, running the risk of Maes's life force draining before the healing had been completed and Dad left with a failed transmutation. We might lose both of them. Uncle Al and Grandma Izumi—it's the same story with both of them. They passed through the Portal and they could perform the life-force transmutation without a circle if they understood the workings behind it, but that wasn't what the Truth chose for them to see. Even with all their power, there's a reason my dad was the only one who ever performed a successful manipulation of personal life-force to that scale."

"He understands the flow of life," I said. "Better than anyone."

I sucked my lip, remembering how darn excited Maes had gotten when I'd talked about the one-is-all junk. The flow of life.

Sophie looked at me. She was looking pretty serious. "Do you understand now? Do you see why Maes and I need to make this right? Our dad saved the world and left it with a happy ending. He can't die like this."

So, they blamed themselves. And they blamed Amestris. And the military. Probably my dad, too. Perfect.

"Hey, Sophie?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Were you kind of hoping that when I went through the Portal I might have seen some of the same things your dad saw? Like…maybe I might know how to transmute his life force back?"

"It's possible, isn't it?" Sophie looked sheepish. She looked like the kind of girl that wasn't usually sheepish. "I know you don't remember, but…You've seen more of the Truth than any living person in the world, maybe ever. Most people give up prices like a leg or their sight. My uncle gave up his entire body for a while. He saw a lot of the Truth for that price. But when you paid your price, you promised the Gate your entire being, your body and soul. I know you were freed from that debt later on, but it doesn't change what you saw. I don't think you understand how much a human soul is worth to the Gate. Paying with your entire being would have gained you more of the Truth than every alchemist combined. Even if your experience with the Truth was not specifically aimed toward life's flow, you still would have seen a significant amount, maybe enough to…" Sophie shook her head. "We won't force you to do anything. You don't even have to perform it if you don't want to take the risk. We just need an alchemist that knows the Truth inside and out. We'll figure it out on our own from there. I promise."

Was she begging?

"Well, that works for me." I forced a smile, wishing I could give her more. "I want to uncover my alchemy almost as much as you do."

She got a little shocked looking. "Really?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "You want to try to convince me otherwise?"

"No!" She absolutely grinned. "Thank you, Nina. You have no idea what this means to us."

"Yes, I do," I said. I looked past all the posters and clippings and lace to the door. "You got a phone. I want to call my dad."


	28. Chapter 28: Issues 'vs' Issues

Author's Note: Happy Mothers' Day! Oh...not you Ed. Sorry. You either, Winry. Alphonse. Mustang. Riza. Oo, Izumi, ouch! Yeah, and also Nina's biological mom died when she was little bitty, so... Crap.

PhantomhiveHost: Yeah, I haven't been sleeping lately, haha. Don't try to guess my updating schedule. You'll hurt yourself.

Harryswoman: Aw, it made you cry? Awesome! Haha :P

Shan-Shan XP: Why yes, yes it is.

Kimbblesrath: Nope, Mustang's definitely got his sight back. This is two decades since the Promised Day. He's definitely healed :)

Queen of Narnia49: Thanks! I'm sorry about the typos. I usually catch most of them, but a few get past me, nonetheless. With the daily updates to worry about, I prioritise and just don't bother to repost better edited chapters.

SavFFLover: I guess there were a lot of things I thought about after I finished FMAB, possibilities about the Portal and that kind of thing. I saw a lot of potential for expanding basic ideas in FMAB's plot and now that I'm writing this fanfic I've already got a lot of it worked out. Thanks for asking :)

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Chapter 28: Family Issues 'vs' Family Issues

The phone shook in my hand just a little as I waited for the secretary to relay my call. It was getting closer to the late morning hours and Dad would be gearing up for lunch pretty soon. As I sat in the Elric family's kitchen with their phone in my hand, I started to hope just a little bit that I had caught my dad too late and he wouldn't pick up.

Then I heard a subtle click. The fuzzy background noise from being on hold dropped and the line got pretty darn clear. A deep, strong, actually kind of irritated voice spoke into the receiver.

"This is the Fuhrer speaking."

I felt the phone rattle in my hand. My heart kind of pumped a little too fast and I tried really hard not to breathe too loud. I contemplated hanging up.

"This is the Fuhrer," he repeated, louder and more obviously peeved. Usually he was a master at keeping his emotions out of the workplace. "Can I help you?"

I squeezed my hand tight around the phone. I'd forgotten what I was going to say.

I heard my dad's classic frustrated sigh, the one he used when Mom bothered him about slacking on paperwork during their free time.

"Hello?" he said. I could practically hear his frown. His voice got a little distant as he lowered the phone and yelled to his secretary, "Who the hell is this?"

I could just hear the young woman's voice reply, "They used your personal line, sir. I was just following protocol."

She sounded a little snippy like maybe this wasn't the first time he'd snapped at her today.

"I don't have time for this," said Dad. "Contact security and have them deal with whoever's been leaking my personal number."

"Sir."

So, that was it. I waited for the phone to click and hum in my ear as he hung up. I'd heard his voice. That was enough. Right?

"Dad! Wait!" I shouted into the receiver. "Don't go!"

I heard the click. I heard the thumb. I sort of felt like my heart had stopped for a bit more than a while. Maybe I was making an expression, but I sure didn't feel one. I dropped the phone onto the hook. I'd heard his voice. He was alive and not dying a slow painful death. That was enough.

"Damn it," I said. My voice didn't come out so loud, but what I heard from myself didn't sound short of pitiful.

The phone rang about ten seconds after I'd put it back on the hook. It came out so loud to me that I literally jolted in my seat. I didn't really think about the fact that it was the Elric family's phone and that I probably shouldn't have been answering it. I picked it up like a ravenous beast and thrust it at my ear.

But I wasn't the only one who'd picked up.

"Hello?" Uncle Ed said.

There was a pause.

"I'm sorry," my dad said. "This is the Fuhrer of Amestris. I just received a call from this number, but…the line was disconnected."

I put my hand over my receiver so they wouldn't hear me breathing.

"So, I guess it finally got through to her," said Uncle Ed. His voice had gotten a little stronger. He was keeping my dad in the dark over how drained he was. "Hang on a second, Colonel. Let me get her for you."

"Colonel…?" My dad responded impressively fast. I heard him inhale sharp before he spoke so he could say it louder and more horrified. "Fullmetal?"

"Hey, Nina!" Uncle Ed yelled across the house. "Your dad's on the other end."

I took a moment for authenticity. I took my hand off the receiver and yelled back across the house. "Thanks, Uncle Ed. I got it."

The phone clicked as Uncle Fullmetal hung up. I kind of wondered if I should talk first.

"…Nina?" Dad was talking pretty sweet now that I was the one on the other end.

I gulped. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, baby," he said right back, his voice kind of hoarse and melted. He'd called me 'baby.' He was playing dirty. "How are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm good Dad," I said, decided on keeping the bruises on my face to myself. "I'm really completely good."

"Good."

He said it like he wanted to say more but he was waiting for me to make the next move. Talk about pressure.

"I'll be okay, Dad," I said.

"You're staying with Fullmetal?"

He was jumping the gun. I could tell. He had that edge to his voice where he was preparing to tell me what I couldn't do.

"I'm staying with the Elrics," I said coolly. According to Sophie, Uncle Ed didn't like being called by his State Alchemist name anymore. Aunt Winry really didn't like it.

"It's been a week," said Dad. "You should come home. We're waiting for you."

"Not yet," I said. "Later."

I heard his breathing, like he was exhaling steam onto his phone. "Nina, I know there's no way for me to take back…what I did to you."

He couldn't even say it.

"It's alright, Daddy," I said soft and calm.

"No, it's not. I can't…"

"It's okay," I said.

I could practically feel his nervous energy pulsing through the wire.

"How's Fullmetal?" asked Dad, finally.

I got kind of stiff in the jaw. "He's great. A little sarcastic."

Dad's voice got a little nostalgic. "Yeah."

"He…" I gripped the phone so hard the muscles in my arm vibrated. "Dad, he…" I closed my eyes. I sighed. "Dad, he looks just like Maes."

Dad laughed. "Maes looks just like him."

Or looks just like what he used to look like, I thought.

"He's taller than you, Dad," I said, remembering Sophie's poster with the compact pistol of an alchemist giving a thumbs-up at the center.

"Why should I care?" He sounded like he really did care.

I felt a smile coming on. Guys and their height dominance issues. "Tell Mom I said 'hi.' Tell her I love her and…"

"Let me get her in here. You can tell her in person. She just went ahead of me to lunch a little bit ago—"

"I called to hear your voice," I said. I paused. "Stay safe, Daddy. For me?"

"No, Nina, don't say goodbye—"

"I love you, Daddy."

"Nina, wait."

"Love you."

I hung up.

I heard footsteps. "Thank you, Nina." Winry came into the kitchen like some kind of ghost or something.

"Jeez!" I said, leaning back in my chair. "What is it with you people and freaking me out? My adrenals are going to fritz to no end with all the anxiety you put me through."

Aunt Winry smiled and came over and patted my head like a seriously certified 'mom.'

"Thanks for not saying anything," she said nice and sweet and sincere. "About Ed, I mean. Roy was a good friend while it lasted, but…"

"I wish I could have told him," I said. "He's so freaking harsh about Maes and Uncle E. If he knew what they suffer on a daily basis for what Uncle Ed did for Amestris…"

"He'd feel bad," said Winry. "And then he'd go back to ruling Amestris. That's what it means to be Fuhrer. He's not allowed to have regrets."

"If I'd told him what I was really doing here…" I shuddered. "Knowing him, he'd probably get protective and establish some kind of law against Fuhrer's daughters risking their wellbeing on transmutations involving 'life force'."

"I think that would go for any doting father," Winry said with a laugh.

She walked past me and unhooked her apron from the peg next to the pantry. She slipped it on, tied it twice at the waist, then went to the sink to peel the skin off some apples. "Apple pie," she said. "Sometimes it's the only thing I can get down him after a storm, if you can believe it. Just have to leave out most of the sugar or he'll be sick again."

I watched her peel the apples in spirals with the little knife's blade leaning on her thumb. Seriously, she was way too cute to be a mother of two. She was way too young to be a widow, as well. I could see the pink under her eyes. She'd been crying.

"To be completely honest," she said softly, "Ed doesn't want to be remembered like this. He values Roy's opinion more than your father realizes. He was happy to have his respect when he did. Edward won't say it, but the only real reason we've kept his condition from reaching Central all this time is because he'd rather be forgotten than remembered as a failed transmutation."

I looked at the phone. I thought about how that had been the first time my dad had heard Fullmetal's voice in sixteen years. And it would probably be the last.

Unless I saved the day.

I looked up at Winry peeling the fool out those apples. I saw how pretty she was and how she'd probably been one of those young brides marrying her high school sweetheart and starting her family in the perfect little house with the white picket fence. She probably never would have seen it coming, her baby being born sick, her husband dying young, her life falling through her fingers. All she could do was wait for everything she loved to disappear.

I looked back on my family and what we'd been through. It was all pretty darn awful, but when all was said and done, we'd gotten past it. It was over. Even if I hadn't had a personal reason to stay with the Elrics and learn to control my alchemy, seeing some relief on their faces seemed a worthwhile enough reason in itself.

I'd felt the power in me, the potential in that moment I'd clapped my hands together and harmed Jake's wrist. If I hadn't felt it then, I wouldn't have been so quick to tell the Elrics I'd help them now. My only job for now was to do what they said to do and not think too much beyond that. God forbid I realize there was no hope.

"The rain stopped a little while ago," said Winry, her eyes on her apples. "You can go see Maes if you want. Sophie's with him now."

I was wondering if that was more of a request for me to leave or maybe she just thought I was itching to be with him. I got up, no matter what the reason, and headed to his room. I paused in the kitchen doorway.

"Aunt Winry?" I said. "When Uncle Ed's better and he's not worried about looking weak in front of my dad anymore, I want you two and my parents to make up with each other, okay?"

"You make my husband better," said Winry, "and I'll give your parents a public apology."

She turned from her bare apples and smiled at me. Her eyes were still raw from crying.


	29. Chapter 29: Mother's Day Special

Author's Note: Kind of late for Mother's Day...but oh well.

mixmax300: You know, I didn't get an update on it either and I was the one who posted the darn thing! Someone else said they didn't get an email notification as well, so I think it's just a little glitch with the site.

DanniMaeAnime92: Haha, little victories everywhere. What was your assumption? That Ed was hiding it from Roy cuz of their 'complicated bro-mance'?

Harryswoman: Multiple people didn't get notifications that time, so I wouldn't worry. I think it was just a little fluke from the site :)

Shan-Shan XP: My dad had to go on a job overseas for for my first five months of college, so I couldn't even drive down to see him on long weekends like I did with the rest of my family. We used to call long distance and we'd have nothing to say but, "I just wanted to hear your voice, Daddy," and "It's good to hear your voice, sweetheart." Wow, I didn't even remember that when I was writing that scene with Nina and Roy...hm. Oh, yeah, I've definitely gotten splinters there. SUX!

SavFFLover: Yeah, if I were Riza, I'd b* slap Roy for talking to Nina w/o me, even if it wasn't his fault :P

otakgirlyy: Haha! I love Hughes. I figured if Ed and Winry were going to name their first kid after anyone, it darn well had to be Maes. I think Hughes would be rolling in his grave if he knew Elysia had been cradle-robbing on Ed Elric's son twenty years after his death, lol. Or that Roy Mustang was a complete gooey daddy (Actually, Hughes probably saw that coming).

Hawkstang: What can I say? I'm a sadist for my characters, haha!

* * *

Chapter 29: Fullmetal Alchemist: Motherhood

Winry Elric...

Dinner used to be a pleasure for Winry. She could make a thousand different things a thousand different ways just to see her husband and children smile. But thirteen months ago, almost to the day, her husband's organs had been damaged in an effort to save their son, affecting his ability to digest nutrients. Their son had been implanted with automail that set him in so much pain that often he had trouble keeping food down, no matter how good it was. To make things worse, her daughter, Sophie, had proclaimed herself a vegetarian after visiting a friend's family's slaughter-house in the back of her friend's family's pasture after school a few weeks ago. Needless to say, Winry's menu had been considerably limited lately.

"You making cornbread again, Mom?" Sophie asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table for her daily after-school rant.

Sophie was twelve years old and had recently been discovered by boys. She wouldn't admit it yet, but she'd discovered boys as well.

"Maes likes corn," said Winry, fluffing egg yolks in a small bowl with a fork.

"Dad can't have all those carbs."

"I'm making him oatmeal."

"Again?"

Winry sighed. "What do you want for dinner, sweetie?"

"I don't care," said Sophie.

Winry knew her daughter. Sophie was really saying she wanted something that would take time to fix and she didn't want to ask for it directly. She wanted her mom to suggest it.

"Grilled cheese without ham?" Winry guessed.

"Sounds okay."

So, Winry had guessed wrong.

"Pasta?"

Sophie lit up. "That sounds nice."

"What do you want on it?"

"Pesto," said Sophie, too fast not to have been premeditated.

"Alright," said Winry, praying she had basil left in her herb garden out back.

"What are you having, Mom?"

Winry set down the frothy eggs and reached for the cornmeal. "I'll eat whatever's left."

It was what she'd been resorting to for a few months now. With all the maintenance Maes had needed lately and Edward slipping in and out of being bedridden, she didn't have the time or the energy to fix herself her own special order along with everyone else's.

"So," said Winry. "Tell me about school."

"That idiot Nelson keeps making dirty jokes out of everything I say!"

"Like what?" If Winry didn't give constant replies, Sophie would get angry and start over from the beginning.

"Well, see, today I was talking about chipmunks..."

"Yeah..." said Winry. "...Uhuh...Interesting..."

She poured the cornbread batter in the cast iron pan and set it in the oven. She filled a pot with water for the oatmeal.

"So," said Sophie, concluding her tale of woe, "I told Mrs. Bates the whole story and he got sent home early. It served him right, even if I did lie about some of it to her."

"It's wrong to lie," Winry recited absent-mindedly, just a mother's catchphrase.

"Yeah, but he popped my bra strap!"

"Don't wear see-through shirts anymore," said Maes, coming into the kitchen slow. "If he can't see them, he can't snapped them."

Winry smiled. Maes knew how to correct Sophie better than anyone. Winry and Edward had been fighting Sophie on her evolving wardrobe since the day she turned twelve. Her father had been in the military by the time he was twelve, so why couldn't she pick her own clothes?

"You feeling okay, Maes?" Sophie asked, giving up her chair.

Maes stayed in the doorway, leaning. He coughed into his skinny elbow. "How was school, girly-girl? You learn stuff?"

"Probably stuff you already know," said Sophie.

A few weeks after Maes turned thirteen, he'd made an attempt to go to school again, but the strain on his body just to walk to and from aside, public places like the Resembool schoolhouse were teeming with germs. Maes just couldn't afford to be sick so soon after having his automail installed. Winry wanted to wait at least two more years before he attempted anything too strenuous. Despite what Maes thought he was capable of, Winry had seen what automail rehabilitation looked like plenty of times. Her son wasn't ready.

Maes coughed into his arm again. "You making me cornbread?" he asked with a smile.

"Do you think you can eat it, sweetheart?"

Maes nodded. "Hasn't rained in a few days. I'm feeling strong."

Winry felt just a bit of the world lift off her shoulders. "Good." She put a lid on the oatmeal and turned it on low to simmer. "You ready for your tune-up, Maes?"

"That's why I'm here." He smiled, his pale face glowing with his contagious optimism.

Winry slipped out of her apron. "Let me just get a couple tools from my workshop..."

Winry caught Maes's anxious glance at his little sister still seated at the table.

"Don't bother," said Maes. "We can just do it in there."

Winry's heart sank a little. He really had been stronger lately, at least physically. But tune-ups were never easy on him. He didn't want his sister to see.

"Alright, Maesy," Winry said, coming through the door with him. "Alright."

Winry closed the door behind her and Maes when they got to the workshop. He sat on the clinical leather seat and stripped off his shirt. Under his breastbone, fastened between his protruding ribs, the claw of steel automail clenched and unclenched, making his lungs breathe. Maes coughed. His automail shuddered and fell back into its rhythm.

"You feel a cold coming on?" Winry asked, shuffling through her toolbox for a screw driver.

"No," he said. "Just the regular cough."

Winry brought a handful of small tools over and put them to the side. She sat on a stool in front of him.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Your body's still getting used to the automail. Give it time."

"I'm not worried," said Maes.

She knew he wasn't. At least, he wasn't worried about himself.

Winry checked over the structure of Maes's chest piece, oiling the joints, unscrewing and lifting different parts to get a better view of the intricate system of gears and wires. Her son may not have had as much as experience as her, but his design for a breathing aid was nothing short of genius.

"It's looking good, but it's a little loose at the bottom corner there." Winry touched the spot she knew he'd probably noticed before her. "It's about time to change out the filters, while we're at it. That could help with the coughing."

Maes nodded. It worried Winry when he nodded and didn't speak, didn't even smile. It meant he was either in pain or thinking of pain when they were in this room. Winry had known that using automail to assist vital systems would be more painful than regular prosthetics, but Maes hadn't let on until after the procedure had been done on him just how big that pain-gap would be.

Maes lay down for it. It was easier for Winry to work from a bird's eye view. Her hands worked gentle for him, even gentler than they did on Edward. When Maes laid here in front of her with his chest exposed and his big golden eyes looking up at her, he became like a baby again, life so fragile it could snap from a loud whisper. Even so, with all her light touches and gentle adjustments, he still clenched his teeth and cringed.

"Almost done, baby," said Winry.

Unlike with regular automail prosthetics, which only required disconnecting and reconnecting the nerves once during every maintainance, Maes's automail required constant disconnecting and reconnecting throughout the tune-up. To disconnect the entire piece at once could kill him. There were even some vital parts that could not be disconnected at all. Winry worked on those with the nerves connected non-stop. She tried to do these vital parts as little as possible because of the pain, but changing the filters every couple of weeks was unavoidable.

"Alright, baby, I'm going to change the filters now." She had her surgical gloves on now rather than the work gloves she usually used for prosthetics. The latex allowed for more intricate dexterity. She need it.

"Count to ten, Mom?"

"Yeah," said Winry. "I'll count to ten." Winry held the screw driver to the first filter. Maes balled his hands into fists and closed his eyes. Winry began. "One...two..."

Maes got stiff as she unhooked the door to the filters and slid them out one by one. He was trying not to thrash. Winry worked, counting aloud. This was all like clockwork to her after thirteen months of doing it for him.

"...four...five...six..."

Maes grimaced, coughing at the back of his throat as his filters were agitated. Winry slipped the fresh ones in straight from the box, connecting them one by one. The dull pulse of the nerves connecting to the new filters reached Winry's ears. Maes tilted his his head back and gasped.

"Nine..." Winry capped the filters and fastened them tight with a turn of her screw driver. "Ten."

Maes sank limp into the stiff cushions and panted. Winry took off her gloves and sat at the edge of the couch to stroke his hair. He was sweating. He hadn't groaned this time, which meant he'd probably seen something in Winry that had made it worth it to him to waste all his energy trying not to scream.

"Dummy," she said softly. "It's okay to cry."

Maes shivered. His eyes remained closed.

"I'm your mommy," Winry said. She laced her fingers through the front of his golden hair, easing through the dried sweat and tangles. "It's my job to take care of you."

"Not like this," said Maes, his voice so breathless it was almost inaudible. "Not like this."

"Don't say that."

"You shouldn't have to hurt me every day," Maes said faintly. "It's not what you want."

"Maes..."

Maes opened his eyes like two slits. "This isn't what you wanted."

Winry felt a sob come up in her chest. She leaned over her son and cupped her hand over his pale face, rubbing away the pain with her gentle mother's hands. He opened his eyes a little more. Winry smiled at him. "Oh, baby boy," she said, her voice breaking on the last word. She scooped up his skeleton-like body into a hug and held him close, letting him lean his cheek on her shoulder and petting the back of his head. He trembled in her arms.

She spoke softly into his ear. "This is exactly what I wanted."

He shivered. She felt his bony hands on her waist as he tried to hug her back with the strength he had left. She kissed his temple.

"You are exactly what I wanted, Maes."

* * *

Riza...

Nina said goodbye and reached up to kiss her mother's face. Riza watched her little girl walk into the school with the mass of preschoolers and remembered Nina's first day when they'd walked in together.

Crowded outside the school, standing in the frost, were the other mothers and nannies sending their children off. Most of them had gotten to know one another since school's beginning in the fall, but Riza was an exception. She never stayed to chat. Her husband, the newly promoted General Mustang, awaited her at Central Command. Dropping Nina off was all she had time for.

"Oh, what a darling," said one of the mothers, coming next to Riza.

Riza turned. It was rare that anyone would approach her before she hurried to the Command Center. The woman standing in front of her couldn't have been any older than early twenties. She had her auburn hair tucked under a rosy-pink hat and her belly came out a foot in front of her, clearly pregnant. She smiled at Riza, breathing foggy breath into the cold winter air.

"Your daughter," she said, pointing in Nina's direction as she slipped past sight. "Is she your youngest?"

Riza didn't take offense. She just stared in Nina's direction as if she was still in view.

"She's an only child," said Riza.

"Oh, late start?" asked the young mother, probably too oblivious to see the underlying sting in her words. "Well, you've still got plenty of time."

Riza nodded. She wasn't as young as the Elrics, but she was still young enough to be a new mother.

Riza turned and saw the woman rest a mitted hand on her belly, cradling her unborn child.

The woman smiled at Riza like they shared a connection. "I'm hoping for a girl this time. I love my sons, but they can be quite a handful. It would be nice to braid hair instead of wash mud out of it for a change."

"Yes," said Riza. Nina's hair hadn't grown long enough to braid very well since she'd been adopted. The laboratory in Drachma had seen fit to cut Nina's hair down to a few inches while she was under their care. Riza had promised Nina she would never cut it again, but that didn't make it grow back any faster.

"She must look like her father," said the woman, referring to Nina again. "That black hair with those bright blue eyes! I'm sure she'll break a lot of hearts when she's older."

"I wouldn't know," said Riza. "Nina's adopted. I never met the man."

The woman paused, putting the pieces together. Now she would be wondering whether to say anything about it.

"Well," said the woman, "she seems to love you very much."

"She's my world," said Riza.

"Oh, wonderful!" The woman gave Riza her hand. "I'm Pamela, by the way. I've seen you here before, but you always leave so quickly—"

Riza shook her hand. "I know. I'm sorry. I have a job I need to get to. I'm Riza. It was nice to meet you. Goodbye."

Riza got a glance of Pamela's protruding belly as she turned and left. A perfect sphere. Some women wore pregnancy well and Pamela managed it in a winter coat at eight o'clock in the morning. Subconsciously, Riza found her gloved hand massaging her own tummy, flat like a washboard.

The mothers staying to socialize whispered behind her as she went.

"Wait," said the pregnant woman. "You mean that was General Mustang's wife? No wonder she doesn't have any other kids. She wouldn't have time for them."

"I'd like to know when she had time to be pregnant with her daughter."

"Isn't their daughter adopted?"

"It's irresponsible, if you ask me. To adopt a child that young with both parents so involved in the military."

"The Hawk's Eye has always been one of my favorite military legends, but I never saw her as a mother. She's a sniper, for God's sake!"

"And what about General Mustang? He's a hero now, but wasn't he one of the war criminals put on trial a few years ago for that genocide in Ishval?"

"The Ishvalans let him off the hook."

"He's still a killer."

"That poor little girl."

Riza pulled her scarf higher over her ears and kept walking.

…

Nina lay on the bed, sleeping soundly between Roy and Riza's pillows. Roy had offered to carry her to her room, but Riza said it was alright for tonight. Roy brought the band-aids out of their bathroom closet and handed the box to Riza. He sat on the bed with her and the two of them covered Nina's delicate fingertips, one by one.

"Fuery was back from leave today," said Riza, her voice soft.

"Yeah," said Roy. "He came by."

"Did he show you the picture?"

"He'll be as bad as Hughes," Roy chuckled. "We talked for almost half an hour and it all led back to his wife and daughter."

"She's a sweetie," said Riza. "Fuery said he might bring her in after a few weeks so we can meet her."

"A baby in my office? Seems a little emasculating."

Riza knew it was a joke, but her face frowned anyway. She curled the last band-aid over Nina's pinky.

"I want him to bring the baby in," said Riza.

Roy set the box of band-aids on the bedside table. "I never said he couldn't."

"Mrs. Fuery," said Riza. "In that picture she looked like Winry. Remember right after Maes was born? Mrs. Fuery was smiling just like Winry did."

Riza was expecting some kind of clueless reply from him about childbirth taking a toll on women's appearances. Instead, Roy looked away. He stared at the ground. Just stared.

"If you had known…" he began quietly. His black eyes narrowed, filled with painful remorse. "Would you still have married me if you had known I couldn't make you a mother?"

His words were like a spear jamming into the back of Riza's head. She quickly diverted herself, reaching to Nina and occupying her hands by stroking Nina's inky hair.

"I am a mother," said Riza.

She could tell Roy was swallowing his emotions down by the sound in his throat.

"That's not what I meant," he said.

One thing Roy had never really talked about with Riza or with anyone else was his life before being taken in by Chris Mustang. He was very young when his parents had died and he'd always seemed averted to discussing it, so Riza never asked what had killed them.

She never would have guessed his home had been one of the ones struck by the earliest waves of the epidemic, the fever that had claimed lives off and on for decades before it finally exhausted itself. The fever had put both Roy's parents in the ground, but Roy had come through it alive and, eventually, well.

Now, thirty years later, the doctors were all telling the Mustangs the same thing. Roy was sterile and it was likely the fever that had done it to him. Apparently it was a common scenario in men who had come out of the epidemic. Apparently there were absolutely no cases of it ever being reversed.

Riza touched Nina's arm. "She's enough, Roy."

"I know." He sounded worthless.

"I don't need another child," said Riza, "but I…I would have liked to have had our daughter's first three years."

Roy didn't reply. Riza traced her finger across the scar above Nina's elbow.

"This is what her first three years were," said Riza, glaring at the scar. "This is the time I didn't get to have with her."

"I'm sorry," said Roy.

His eyes were still down. His head was still bowed. Riza leaned away from Nina and scooted close enough to Roy to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders and rest her chin next to his neck. She could feel him breathe against her.

"I love you," said Riza. "I wouldn't change a thing if I had to do it again. None of this is your fault. It hurts you, too."

Riza could feel his hand taking her hand and squeezing gently. But he didn't speak.

"It's just…" Riza said faintly. "It's just that…Right when they're first born they see the world as 'mama' and 'everyone else,' I wish I could have held her then. Just…held her."

Roy squeezed her hand again. "I would have liked to have held her hands when she was learning to walk." Roy paused. "I'd hear you yelling from the nursery, 'Roy! Get in here! She's walking!' I'd run in and she'd be toddling over to you. I'd try to get her to toddle over to me. We'd have to childproof the house all over again because now that she was on her feet she could get into things."

Riza buried her face in her husband's shoulder, hugging him tight.

"You're wrong, Roy," she said. "Blood or not, you are Nina's father, not just by title. She's your baby girl. So, because you are Nina's father and I am married to you, you did make me a mother." Riza kissed his face. "You're wrong. You did make me a mother, Roy. You make me a mother every day."

Roy pulled Riza off his shoulders and held her in his arms. She leaned her head on his chest, rubbing his strong arm with her palm.

"Thank you, Roy," she said.

Roy swept her bangs away and kissed the vulnerable skin of her forehead. He came close to kissing her mouth. But then Nina whimpered behind them.

"Nina?" he said softly, turning to her.

Riza peeled away from him and cradled Nina's restlessly sleeping body in her arms. Nina whimpered again, her face twisting into an expression of agony.

"We're here, baby," said Roy, taking one of her hands.

"Right here, Nina," said Riza.

Riza leaned on Roy, side by side on the bed, with Nina curled on her lap. Riza rocked Nina through the whimpers, jerks, and cries while Roy held Nina's hand to give her some sign that she wasn't alone in whatever hell her dreams had taken her to.

Riza felt Nina's warm little body huddled in her arms; warm, bony, and soft. She was still so small from malnutrition in Drachma, even after over a year since adopting her. Nina shuddered, sobbing as her nightmare intensified. Riza held her closer. Just like a baby.

Nina jolted in Riza's arms, jerking her hand away from Roy's grasp with a high pitched cry. Riza continued to rock her and Roy moved to take her hand again, but Nina had closed her fingers tight around a handful of Riza's shirt. Nina tossed in her sleep a little, burrowing against her mother's safe body. Roy chuckled.

"You were right, Riza," he said softly. "Babies do see two things. 'Mama,' and then just 'everyone else.'"

"Ma…ma…" Nina sighed in her sleep almost silently, her body pressed against Riza's.

Riza kissed her baby's hair, treasuring the gentle pulse of life, the tiny breath, safe in her arms. "Thank you for making me a mother, Nina."

...Mother's Day isn't about having the name 'Mother'...It's about living up to it...


	30. Chapter 30: 'Bedroom Scene'

Author's Note: ATTENTION: Want your idea included in a chapter? Read below!

So...even though I try to write legit chapters for every post, sometimes I just don't have the time/energy to do it. As you should have noticed by now, I do extras/specials/OVAs/fillers on a semi regular basis to post whenever I can't do a real chapter. So! I've decided to take requests. Tell me something you'd like to see in a future OVA and I'll try to include it in my next one(s). WARNING: I'm not going to be manipulating any plot/character with these. Think of them as "what ifs." So, if you want to suggest Maes falling in love with a sheep and running off to Ishval with it for a shotgun wedding, I can do that. Be creative! NO: I will not be writing abundant sex. Just no. Oh! And if I can help it, I'd like to include multiple ideas in one, so keep the requests simple, please :)

mixmax300: Some moms are so judgemental on other moms. It's mean :(

Harryswoman: Yeeaaahhh!

SaFLLover: I have this sad feeling that Nina might have lit her younger siblings on fire if she'd had any :S

DanniMaeAnime92: You like what I put at the end? Nice. It sounds like a motivational poster, but it came from the heart :)

Hawkstang: If Nina had a brother, he'd come after all her boyfriends with a sniper rifle upon his father's wishes. If she had a sister, she'd probably be like Nina's minion. Who doesn't want to be Nina's minion?

otakgirlyy: About the cornbread...Maes is the embodiment of all that cornbread stands for because his spirit, before he was born, lingered within the cornfields of Resembool, drifting from golden ear to sweet golden ear. To this day he bears his father and grandfather's golden hair, like an ear of corn at the top of a tall, gangly stalk. He eats it in the form of cornbread because something about him just screams 'carbs.' Plus, Winry's got to have something to cook for him ;)

* * *

Chapter 30: "Bedroom Scene"

I stepped into Maes's room kind of cautious. The lights were all off and I could barely see through it. I saw Sophie's dark figure sitting with him on the edge of his bed, heard her voice speaking softly to him. I saw his body breathe on the bed, his bare chest going up and down, led slow by his automail. I watched the glint of his stomach muscles tightening to cough wearily. Sophie petted his head. She twisted her body to look at me, to wave me on in. I walked over to the bed all quiet and awkward, blinking hard to speed up my eyes adjusting to the dim setting.

Maes turned his gaze to look up at me. His face was drained like he'd puked up all his strength and all that was left was his thin countenance with a faint, white gummed smile.

"Hi," he said. His voice sounded loose like the vomiting had worn away at his throat.

"Hey, there," I said, grabbing the bedpost near his head. "Long time no see."

I caught Sophie looking at both of us. She stood.

"I'm going to go see how Dad's doing," she said. She gestured to the empty place on the bed she'd just left. "Nina, why don't you take over?"

Maes went a little straight faced, meeting eyes with his sister. Sophie gave him a smile, kind of a smirk, and left the room. She left the door open enough for at least a little light to pour in. I looked at the empty space next to Maes and felt my face warming up.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to abandon you your first morning here."

I stepped to the edge of the bed, toying with the idea of sitting down.

"I hung with Sophie," I said.

"She told me."

I wondered exactly she'd said.

"I called my dad," I said.

Maes wrinkled his brow. "Did you tell him about…?"

"I left your dad out of it."

Maes half-smiled. "Thanks."

I nodded. "I just wanted to hear his voice."

Maes kept smiling, but his eyes got kind of heavy and he looked away. I chewed my lip. My face got warm again as I planted my butt on the bed, sitting right next to Maes's clammy body over his rumpled up bed-sheets.

"Hey," I said. I didn't talk again until he met my eyes. "I'm going to do this for you. You and Sophie both. This stopped being about me the moment death entered the picture. I don't know _what_ the heck I can do, but I know I _can_ do it. You won't lose him; not his love, not his smile, not the sound of his voice. You just won't."

Maes looked away again. "That's a little arrogant, Nina."

I felt a flush burn under my eyes. I took his chin and turned his face back to look at me. I stared hard at him, less than pleased.

"I meant it," I said.

Maes's eyes were almost pleading, like he seriously wanted to believe me. He pulled his face from my hand and rolled over to face the wall.

"Could you try not to promise me anything, Nina?" he said.

"But, I meant it," I said.

"It's not always up to you."

Yeah, that wasn't what I needed to hear from him. The last thing I wanted was to be the only optimist in the house. No point in that. I realized maybe talking to Maes after a storm while he was still all down and junk wasn't the best idea. Not right now. I couldn't think like there was a chance I was as useless as rancid bran.

That feeling I'd had in that moment I'd clapped my hands together, the feeling of pure energy circulating through me in a perfect, unconstrained flow. All of this energy that had been tangled within me beyond recognition rushing through me in a powerful wave. I'd felt it, its endlessness, its pulse. Before Sophie had even told me about her father's situation, I'd known what the feeling was. There was only one word to describe it. Life. And it was meant for so much more than breaking the skin on Jake's wrist.

I put my hand on Maes's shoulder. His skin was cool and sticky from sweating. He kept his face toward the wall.

"Then I won't say anything," I said. "Get some rest."

I slipped my hand off his shoulder and moved to stand, but Maes took my hand to keep me from leaving. I hunkered back down on the bed and waited for him to be ready to let go of me. He rolled to lie on his back again and met my eyes, still clinging to me.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Just tell me you'll try, alright? Tell me you'll keep trying."

I squeezed his hand kind of gentle because I didn't know if maybe the storm sickness had made him brittle or something.

"Yeah," I said. "I'll keep on trying. I'll do my best."

Maes smiled kind of sad. "Thank you."

He loosened his grip on my hand and let me take it away. I patted his arm and leaned onto my feet to stand up, but something about the way he was looking at the ceiling all blank and quiet made me stay seated.

He was almost still. His eyes blinked wearily every few moments and his throat swallowed, but besides that, the only movement on him was his chest breathing. I was closer now and I could see his automail in all its glory. It really was half inside him. I could even see some of the joints in the claw make little bumps where they poked under his skin. The blood vessels around the area were dark, bruised looking, and the bolts were a little pink around the edges like the storm had worn out the flesh around his automail as well as his lungs. It's looked darn horrific, having a creepy metal tarantula-looking contraption drilled into his chest, digging into his lungs, squeezing and pulling on them so they'd move.

Maes coughed and the joints in his automail faltered a little, losing rhythm. Maes took a few breaths and his automail synchronized itself again. What a freaking tragedy. I tried not to think about how he'd apparently had it implanted at age twelve. It was one thing for him to be carrying it around now, but imagining a mini-Maes going through the excruciating tune-ups as a little boy, suffering through the agony during storm sickness, was just too much to stomach.

Maes coughed again, this time a little harder. The claw clenched hard and his chest forced him into breathing normal. He winced slightly, but he didn't react too much beyond that. I figured he was used to his automail pinching at him all day.

I looked at the metal, the joints, the gears. I reached my hand over the claw and touched gently where the automail was bolted to his flesh, where cool metal met clammy skin. Maes gasped a little like maybe I'd hurt him or maybe my fingers were just cold. I drew away, kind of embarrassed.

"Oops," I said.

"No," said Maes. "You just startled me."

I felt myself blush pretty heavy. "Yeah, sorry. I don't know why I did that."

Maes smiled big. He grabbed my hand nice and steady and pressed it against the workings of his automail. The metal was cool on my hands. The joints flexed under my palm, kind of pinching. They moved smooth like clockwork. My fingers lay on the base of Maes's automail, resting light on the dock with the facets for the claw's tips to push in and out of Maes's body with every breath.

In and out. I could feel the pieces, every one of them, moving and working, obeying his body to keep him alive. I could feel his lungs expand with the automail. I could see his chest rise. I could hear his parted lips draw in each slow breath.

It was like he'd made a bridge between his body and a bunch of metal parts. His life force coursed through his automail as much as it did any other part of him. He was one with it. It was just one part of him among many.

My other hand found its way to his chest also, feeling the movement. I closed my eyes, letting my hands connect over Maes's chest piece, feeling its flow and feeling it flow through me. My breathing synched with his.

"This isn't automail," I said softly. "It's an extension of your life-force."

I smiled to myself, my lids still closed loosely like I was concentrating on something not in front of me. Maes took his hand away and coughed. I felt the claw spaz and get flustered against my palms. Maes coughed again. He breathed a little wheezy for a while. I could feel the joints righting themselves, getting back to the rhythm.

"That felt like it hurt," I said, shifting my hands over his automail, getting a good feel for every little detail.

"Just a hassle," he said a little hoarse. "It's about time to have my filters changed."

"Filters?"

"They surround the open places in my lungs where the automail penetrates. Keeps my lungs from being exposed to anything bad that my automail might bring in."

I touched the base of his automail, felt around blind. I didn't know what the heck 'filters' were in this kind of business, but I figured since they had to be changed out regularly that they'd have some opening on the dock. My fingers traced the bolts that fastened the claw right into Maes, felt along the gears cloaked in thin metal sheaths for protection, turning with the flow.

My fingers stopped. I scrunched my eyes a little tighter. I left my fingers where they were, a little baffled. I couldn't really explain it, but the flow wasn't as strong here. It was like there was something tightening the passage. I breathed with the automail, feeling the tightness below my fingers. I coughed, suddenly pretty tight in my chest.

"Nina…?" Maes said.

I pressed my fingers gently over the spot with the lesser flow. It was kind of freaking me out, like it had the potential to get tighter. I felt the tightness increase at the very tips of my fingers, leading my hands a little higher. The flow got a little choppy for a second. Maes coughed and I coughed with him.

"You alright?" asked Maes.

I could feel it, right there where his automail ended and his skin began, the waning flow. I bit hard on my lip, coughing at how close the flow was from being cut off completely.

"Nina?" he said. "You want to open your eyes now?"

I could feel his hands over the tops of mine, pulsing with energy, while under my palms all I could feel was a struggle. It was like the flow of his force was being constricted by a thickening thread of black dust.

It was those hands. Those black shadowy hands from my nightmares. They had gripped the passage between Maes's lungs and his automail. They had their hold on his life's flow and they were tightening their grip just to flaunt how easily they could cut it off.

Maes coughed. He held my hands and drew them away from his chest. "Sorry, Nina. A guy can only take so much of a pretty girl running her hands over him before it gets cruel."

I opened my eyes. "Don't move."

"Nina?"

My hands clapped themselves together. My glowing palms dropped themselves against his chest. I breathed with his automail. I breathed strong, feeling its flow falter, countering it with my own.

Maes choked on a breath. "Don't!"

Those hands. Those damn hands!

"Let go!" I said. "Let him go."

Maes squirmed a little. I inhaled long and steady, forcing a rush of Maes's energy to mimic the breath. The flow struggled, building up pressure behind a black sooty barrier. Maes coughed like he was choking. He took my wrist and pulled, tugging, prying the flash of my transmutation from his heaving chest. I exhaled really forceful, pressing really heavy on Maes's chest like I was squeezing something out of him.

I glared. Those damn hands. They had me. They weren't going to have him.

"Leave him alone!"

I felt the pressure that had mounted grow slack.

I pulled away immediately. Maes coughed hard and gasped like he'd just come up from drowning. He continued to cough, so hard he even gagged on some of his breaths and retched like he'd puke again. I stepped away, going over in my head what exactly I'd done just then.

Sophie came into the room running and Aunt Winry was right behind her. Maes was coughing pretty hard and loud. It didn't really surprise me that they'd heard. They hurried past me like I wasn't there.

"Oh, God!" Sophie said. She looked at me. "How'd he get like this? He was fine."

Winry helped him sit up and patted his back, saying, "Breathe, sweetie, breathe," over and over to him.

Sophie kept her eyes on me. "Nina?"

I stared at Maes coughing his guts out. I kind of remembered him telling me, "Don't," somewhere in there. I guessed I 'did.'

"Nina, what happened?"

My brow wrinkled itself and I sucked my lip like an idiot. "I don't really know."

Sophie flicked the light on. Maes was getting a little bit purple in the face. Winry kept patting his back.

"Go get the oxygen," said Winry, obviously addressing Sophie.

Sophie headed to the door, ready to steal off. Then Maes gagged really hard and coughed really hard after. Then he coughed a lot of little times and when he did, something black like wet ashes came up and dripped out of him mouth onto his white sheets.

Sophie made a little startled squeal and ran back to the bed. Winry held Maes's shoulders as he fell a little limp and took a really deep breath. He gave a light cough, like clearing his throat, and breathed again, this time a little easier. He leaned back on his headboard, putting his hand over his eyes as he caught his breath. Winry released him.

"Baby," she said, "did you choke on something?"

Maes removed his hand from his kind of newly watery eyes and squinted at her. He shook his head. I gulped a little. Looking back on it, I wasn't too sure I'd thought that one through. Or thought at all, as it was. I wasn't even sure any of this was really happening. I felt thoroughly screwed.

"What's that?" Sophie asked in horror, pointing at the black dripping off Maes's chin.

Maes blinked. He touched his chin and smudged away some of the mess. He stared at the black on his fingers. He took an easy breath, relishing it. He looked back at the black. He looked over at me.

"It's nothing," said Maes, smiling. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure, honey?" Aunt Winry asked, petting his hair away from his face. "Can you breathe alright?"

Maes laughed sort of, his eyes wide kind of in disbelief. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm breathing fine. It's like someone put a brick on my chest six years ago and they finally just took it off. I'm feeling great!"

Aunt Winry and Sophie seemed baffled. I felt my expression tighten a little. I guessed I was still a little skeptical.

"Thanks, Nina!" said Maes as he wiped the rest of the black off his chin.

He laughed again, savoring some easy breaths to himself. Winry and Sophie looked over at me. I found myself frowning at Maes, frowning right at him because I couldn't really frown too well at myself.

"That was an accident," I said, balling my fists. "I didn't know what I was doing. It doesn't even count!" I looked at my hands with their ugly pink scars all over their ugly white fingertips. For a second, all I could see was that poor Jake's blood running down my hands. One wrong move at that could've been Maes. I shivered. "That damn Gate."


	31. Chapter 31: Hashing Out Stuff

Author's Note: Wow, great ideas! They look really fun to write. I will definitely keep them in mind. You really took it seriously when I said "Be creative!" Haha :) To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't get any, "Unbridled hypothetical make-out between Maes and Nina :D" or, "Make unsuspecting Roy go to Resembool for a birthday party and find out Ed's dying then make him weep with the wind in his hair. Make it homo. AND DO IT OVER A WATERFALL, DAMMIT!" Hahaha! Well, I'm going to keep taking suggestions until my next OVA (I have no idea when that's going to be; just next time I run out of steam for a legit chapter). Keep 'em coming! All in the name of fun, folks.

SavFFLover: Favorite author? D'aw, I'm touched! Just curious, are you a Brit? You use a lot of the spelling and phraseology. I lived in the UK as a kid. Just something I picked up on :)

PhantomhiveHost: Nina's dang awesome :D

mixmax300: I love the one with Armstrong! He has a special place in my heart.

Shan-Shan XP: The season? Late summer (August/September). Don't worry. I have plans for that lake ;)

Harryswoman: Well, thank you!

SakuraHarunaFan: Read the next chapter! It'll answer your question.

AuthorChick96: Thanks! Glad to have you reading :)

Hawkstang: Nina's cool even when she doesn't mean to be :P

otakgirlyy: Nina's certainly going to be relevant. I can tell you that ;)

* * *

Chapter 31: Hashing Out Stuff

"So, what exactly do you remember doing, Nina?" said Uncle Edward. "Every detail counts. Tell me anything."

Maes had the door closed behind the three of us. I had to say, it felt kind of weird being shut up in the Elric's master bedroom, sitting in a pulled up armchair with Maes standing behind me, facing Uncle Ed laying propped up on pillows in the bed in front of me. But it really was all Uncle Ed could manage for the moment, and Maes said time was everything. He wanted to get down what I'd done to him while it was still fresh in our minds. Plus, he had to consult his daddyo before he explained anything to his mom and Sophie. Seriously, there was a chance they might freak out and evict me.

"I don't know what the hell I was doing," I said. "I said that, like, five times already."

I heard Maes sigh behind me, a little exasperated. Uncle Ed looked up like he was meeting his son's eyes and he looked pretty frustrated himself. He looked back across at me.

"Look, Nina, my son is standing upright less than an hour after a bad storm. I don't really give a damn about what you 'know.' All I care about is what you remember." He frowned like he was sulking at me. "Unless you're suffering from a sudden bout of amnesia, I suggest you get talking."

I felt a smile coming on and I just couldn't help it. I stopped fighting and grinned. "Dang, Uncle Ed! You're freaking bedridden and you're still pretty much terrifying."

Maes let out a laugh behind me, kind of muffled which made me suspect it was on accident. Uncle Ed glowered. I leaned back on the chair and let my thoughts throw the smile right off my face.

"I was just touching his automail, you know?" I said, staring at the perfect white ceiling. "I mean, come on. Who doesn't want to touch it? It looked damn cool."

"You 'touched' it for about five minutes, Nina," said Maes with a chuckle all in his voice. He kind of sounded proud of himself.

I felt a flush coming on. "Yeah, well I could feel something moving through it. It was nice. What can I say?"

"Something moving through it?" asked Uncle Ed, a little urgent. "Can you explain a little? What did it feel like?"

"You said my automail was an extension of my life-force, Nina. Do you remember?"

"Let her say it," said Uncle Ed. "Go on, Nina. What was it like?"

I narrowed my eyes at the ceiling, searching for the words, trying not to come off too stupid.

"Well, it…" I sucked my lip.

"Keep going," said Maes, getting all excited and junk.

I could just hear Uncle Ed shushing him. I smiled at the idea. I wasn't the only recent-adult whose parents were still into scolding.

I looked behind me at Maes. He had his shirt on now, but I could still kind of see the joints of his automail poking from underneath. I tilted my gaze back to the white ceiling. White like my dreams.

"There was this flow," I said. "Like, I could feel Maes's skin and I could feel the metal connected to it like two parts. I mean, it was obviously a machine tacked onto a human body, you get me? Anyone could see that. I didn't have to touch it to know." I wrinkled up my brow. "But then there was this flow, like it went through all of him. It wasn't confined to his body. It was like…his soul? It didn't know the difference between human and metal—No, it didn't _care_. That's it. It was indifferent to all the separate parts. It coursed through him as a whole. His automail was just another circuit out of a billion for the flow of energy inside him." Oh, God, I felt stupid.

The room was silent. I really felt my face burning now. My skin was so pale as it was that they would definitely catch on I was blushing. I was pretty much afraid to look away from the ceiling and catch a look at their expressions.

"What did you do to me?" asked Maes. His dad didn't shush him this time.

I gulped. "Well…I guess that might be a little weird to explain. See, it's going to sound way farfetched, but as I felt the flow of your energy, it was kind of like my flow started lining up with yours, I guess. You had this rhythm inside you and I kind of just found myself matching beats and breathing with you. I wasn't being weird, I swear. It just…happened. Then I felt this place over your automail where the flow wasn't as strong, like, maybe it was…impaired or something? I could kind of feel it like my flow was sort of sympathizing with yours. It felt darn awful. My chest felt all tight and junk and I started coughing with you. I mean, your energy's flow was pretty strong when I was first feeling it, but then I got to that little spot and it got so freaking fragile. It was like something…" I felt suddenly extremely stupid and shut up.

Maes's hand went on my shoulder, holding me like he was protecting me or something. "Please, say it."

"It's kind of dumb."

"Please, Nina."

I sucked my lip. "It…was black. I don't know how else to describe it. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it was black, like wet soot wrapped around the channel of your flow. It was squeezing. I mean, it could have cut you off anytime if it wanted to. It was so freaking unstable…I guess I must have flipped out." I closed my eyes. "No, that's a lie. I was scared, but that wasn't why I flipped out. I saw the black soot in my mind and it triggered a memory of those black hands from the Gate. That was why I did the transmutation. I wasn't thinking about your energy's flow. I was trying to kill those damn hands. I would have killed you along with them if things had gone a different way. It was the exact same thing I did with Jake. Just a different result. Seriously."

There was silence again. I pursed my lips. "I'm sorry," I said. "I warned you."

"Nina…" Uncle Ed began.

"No," said Maes. He squeezed my shoulder. His hand was warm. "I don't care why you did it or what _could_ have happened. I don't think you understand, Nina."

He let go of my shoulder and I heard his feet stepping over to me. He knelt in front of me, kind of indirectly forcing me to take my eyes off the ceiling to look down at him. He was smiling real gentle in that comforting way my mom did when she'd tell me, "Me and Daddy's love for you is a lot stronger than anything those idiots could say," every time I got a threat letter as a kid. Uncle Ed was looking at Maes from his bed and he was smiling gentle at him the same way Maes was smiling gentle at me, just about. I wondered if I was supposed to be smiling at Uncle Ed to complete the chain.

"Nina…" said Maes, resting his hand on my armrest. He glanced down at his chest then back at me. "Since I had this automail installed six years ago, do you know I've had to have eight other minor surgeries on it? I'm not talking about maintenance or rough tune-ups. I mean that my mom had to cut into me and move things around. For five out of the eight, she had to do it while I was awake so I could tell her when she'd tightened the nerves properly to allow voluntary breathing. I have to admit that for each of those five, I'd wished I was dead."

I could see Uncle Ed watching his son still. The look on his face was enough to make a person cry, even without knowing the context. I kind of had this urge to get up and hug the guy, but I figured that was a crappy idea just then. He didn't seem like the touchy-feely type and he probably would have rather hugged Maes.

"Rehabilitation was hell," said Maes with his eyes on me, kind of oblivious of his dad. "If you thought the storm this morning was hard on me, you don't want to imagine what it was like two days after an automail surgery. And even after I'd finally get up on my feet again, I knew it was only a matter of time before the next one." Maes looked at the floor and laughed. "It all came down to the model. My automail was advanced, but it wasn't flawless. Metal can't compare with the intricacies of the human body. It just can't. My mom managed to join the most necessary parts, but the connection between my automail and my lungs still had gaps that constantly had to be reconnected and tended to. You see? My automail wasn't a natural part of me. I'm not sure you understand what that meant for me, what I was going to have to live with for the rest of my life."

I cocked my head a little. "I…joined your automail into a natural part of you."

Maes grinned. "That's how it feels so far."

I looked away. I guessed this wasn't too much about me so much. I decided to risk sounding stupid.

"I made his life-force mimic mine," I said bluntly. I shut up.

Uncle Ed sat up off his pillows a little. "What did you say?"

I could feel that darn blush coming on. I felt nuts. "I don't know how I did it, but I did. So there."

"No, say it!" said Maes, taking my hand. "You manipulated my life-force, Nina?"

I shrugged, pulling my hand away self-consciously. "I guess so. I just…Well, I'd already matched yours, so when I felt it get tight I just adjusted my life-force and yours kind of adjusted with it. That's all."

"You corrected his life-force just by thinking about it?" asked Uncle Edward, sounding kind of jealous along with his excitement.

"I didn't think," I said. "I told you that. I just felt the flow. And I have no idea what that black stuff coming out of your mouth was, Maes. I did not do that on purpose."

"Black?" said Uncle Ed. "Was it thick? It could have been traces of unnecessary metals from the automail being expelled."

"It tasted a lot like iron," said Maes. "You're probably right, Dad."

Maes smiled wide with all his teeth, the corners of his mouth creasing at his cheeks. I looked over and Uncle Ed was smiling exactly the same. It was freakish how alike they were. Maes stood up and went over to the bed to give his dad a hug. The way Uncle Ed reached up and wrapped his arms around Maes, rubbing his thin back and stroking the back of his head, I got the sense that these two didn't hug each other too often. I felt kind of cool for inspiring the family moment.

Maes rose, looking down at his dad like he was looking at his lifelong ambition. Uncle Ed looked at Maes like he was prouder of him than he'd been of any person ever, like Maes was the one who'd gone and manipulated his life-force.

"Nina was right," said Maes. "You will be okay."

"I never planned on otherwise, kiddo."

Funny enough, I got this really terrible feeling sticking to my ribs and I kind of wished I hadn't heard them say that. I gave Uncle Ed a nervous smile and said, "Guess that's it," to Maes, and stepped on out nice and casual.

I leaned back on the wall, basking in the empty hallway around me. I could hear Winry cleaning up from the apple pie in the kitchen. Sophie had the radio playing chaotic classical symphonies up in her room. It kind of suited things, all that cacophony buzzing around my head to match the cacophony inside it.

"Oh, damn," I whispered to myself. "He was right. That was pretty arrogant. Why'd I say it? Damn it all! Why'd I tell him I'd save the day?"

I slumped down to sit, letting my butt get sore on the hard wooden floor. This was so screwed up I could die. I looked at my hands, my powerful, wild hands.

"Oh, Nina," I said. "Why didn't you just stay home like Daddy told you to?"

The door creaked open after about five minutes. Maes walked out quiet and shut it soft behind him. He saw me sitting there against the wall and got a little startled-looking. Then he smiled and walked over to sit next to me. I felt so freaking bad.

"He okay?" I asked.

"Being happy wears him out," Maes chuckled.

I bit my lip. "Got you."

"I was happy when you were able to use your alchemy in Dublith," said Maes. "I wasn't happy about how you used it or how upset you had to get to use it, but to see that you were able with next to no training…"

"Yeah."

"But that was nothing," he said, smiling at the wall, pretty much wowed. "That was basic. Anyone who's been through the Gate could have done that in time. I guess it was impressive that you were able to end your transmutation at deconstruction on that man's arm, but to manipulate a life-force? Not even my Uncle Alphonse has come close to doing what you did, and he's a master at alchehestry in every sense of the word. I was sure you'd know some Truth on life-forces because you've seen so much of the Gate, but I couldn't have dreamed you'd have such raw talent for it. You could be just like him, you know? You could be just like my dad. You could be better!"

I felt just a little bit queasy as he gabbed on about how amazing I was and all that tripe. Things just couldn't have gotten worse if they tried.

"Nina?" said Maes, not exactly rambling anymore. "What you said to me earlier…about you doing this for me, how it wasn't about you anymore. Did you mean it?"

Oh, I was an idiot. "Well, I said I did more than once."

He looked at me, straight at me, his gold eyes not exactly excited anymore, not even fulltime grateful. I couldn't really place his expression. All I could say for it was 'infinite.' No…his expression wasn't infinite. It was what he was looking at that made him look that way at me. Oh, jeez. He was totally looking at my eyes. My heart seriously pumped.

"Thank you," he said, steady like he meant it a lot.

"Yeah," I said with a tremble in my voice. "You're welcome…"

My voice cut off the instant I felt his hand on my waist. It slid pretty quick to my back and I felt him pull me to him. I got a look at his hand really quick in my peripheral before it cupped under my jaw and tilted my head up. Before my eyes could focus again, I felt the soft press of his lips on my mouth. _Not good_, I thought to myself. _Oh, damn!_

I closed my eyes as I started thinking in my head what I should be doing. I had to handle this delicately, put some thought into it. Maybe I should've been slowing my lips down and maybe stop sucking on his mouth. Maybe I should have been pulling his arm off me as it held me closer against him. Maybe I should have been squirming just a little when I got close enough to feel his automail breathing against my chest. Maybe I should've been drawing the line after ten seconds. Maybe I should've kept counting after fifteen. Maybe I should've been putting a little distance between us instead of lacing my hands through his hair and pulling him down as he pulled me up. Maybe I should've been forgetting about how weird it felt to be breathing against each other. Maybe I should've been opening my eyes, letting go of his mouth, and retreating all the way back to Central.

I felt his energy pulsing with me, flowing through our bodies as we matched beats. I could feel it channeling between our lips, taking it in and giving it back in a perfect exchange.

Maes and I kind of ran out of breath at the same time and came up for air as a mutual thing. I ended up letting go of him a whole split second after he'd begun to let go of me. He probably didn't even notice, but I absolutely did.

He looked down at me and smiled just a little bit smug. "How many guys did you have to kiss to get that good?"

I twitched a little. "I suck on my lips a lot. It's a nervous habit. I'm shutting up."

He looked a little happy about that. Now I was wondering how many girls he'd had to kiss. Of course, this was Maes. There was a steady chance he was as naturally talented at kissing as he was at every other darn thing the world had to offer.

He put his hand on my cheek, rubbing under my eye with his thumb kind of affectionate. My face burned under his touch.

"I never felt like it was worth it to kiss a girl until I met you," he began. He grinned. "I wouldn't have guessed seven days later we'd—"

I leaned away from his hand. "This was a really bad move."

Maes lowered his hand, looking damn startled and confused like nothing else. I could have smacked myself.

I scooted back from him to put a healthy distance between us. "I shouldn't have done that. Your dad is dying and it's up to me to save him. I can't get involved like this. I can't make this personal. Bad idea."

I was kind of scared Maes would be mad, but it was a lot worse. He looked hurt, and not just that. He looked guilty. He looked at me with his sad eyes.

"My dad being sick doesn't change anything, Nina." He looked so freaking serious, like he'd actually given it thought. "If anything, it…" I must have given some kind of God-awful look, because he trailed off and looked more hurt than before. "Sorry."

"Don't."

Now he looked down at me like he felt like he'd taken advantage of me or something. I felt a little weak just staring into those sad eyes of his. I looked at my knees.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," said Maes. "I'm sorry if I got the wrong idea. It won't happen again."

His words stung big-time, especially the 'won't happen again' part. He stood up because eventually one of us would have to leave first. I really wished I wasn't some powerful alchemist and it wasn't all up to me. Damn Gate!

Maes walked slowly past me like live bait sent to tempt. He put his hands in his pockets like he was trying to hide. "Sorry," he said again, soft and ashamed.

Oh, dang. Things were going to be weird.

I stood up, practically hopped to my feet, and caught up with him enough to grab his hand. He stopped pretty sloppy, which told me he hadn't been expecting me to follow.

"Nina..."

"You don't get it," I said, holding his hand tight like I was kind of afraid he'd let go. "Please. It's not your fault, okay? It's just…I don't know if I can do this. There. I said it. I was being arrogant when I promised. I'll do everything I can, I swear. I can at least promise that much." I shut my eyes, squinting back the threat of tears. "But if he dies anyway…"

"I won't hold it against you," said Maes, turning to me.

"But if he dies because I mess up…" I said. Maes listened. "If I lose control again and I kill him…"

"Nina…"

"I can't fall in love with you," I said. "No matter what you think right now, things won't be the same if I kill Edward. So, I can't fall in love with you, okay?"

I really was not expecting Maes to laugh. But he did, kind of in a small chuckle, looking all happy with me.

"Alright," he said.

I kind of realized I'd wanted him to argue with me on that one just a little before accepting it. Maes gave me my hand back like he was passing me something expensive and breakable. I hated myself for wanting to go ahead and take it all back.

"I guess we'd better hurry up and save my dad," said Maes. He smirked at me, the gold in his eyes looking kind of like something warm and glowing. "So you can fall in love with me."

I felt my eyelids widen around my eyeballs. "Yeah," I said kind of timid. "Guess so."

The thing was, smirk or not, Maes wasn't really one for deception. Holy cow, was he going to wait for me? I swallowed. Something in me wanted to smile. I waited until Maes had his back turned again before I let it stretch my face. It was a good thing my dad was back in Central, because if he were here, Maes would be a dead man.


	32. Chapter 32: Random Deleted Scene

Author's Note: I'm falling asleep, but I can't bear to miss a daily post since I've been perfect so far. So, I'm posting a random, not 'Flame Legacy' scene I wrote out a few months ago that didn't even make it past the 'dialogue stage'. It's not edited. Too sleepy to reply to comments today. Sorry.

**I'll follow up on yesterday's make-out scene tomorrow!**

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Chapter 32: Old deleted scene that no one cares about—because I'm too tired to type new stuff.

I like writing hypothetical marriage proposals. This was one of the first I ever wrote between Roy and Riza. Don't take it seriously; it's not part of any story. Just goofing off. Goodnight.

(After the Promised Day sometime; for some reason they're recently defected):

[Riza is jealous because girls keep flirting with Roy. She's angry because he seems to be fair game for everybody but her. He always has. Finally, she confronts Roy.]

Riza: "Regulations stated no dating in the workplace. Do you know how hard that was for me? Sweet little Riza Hawkeye becomes a deadly sniper just so she can always be at the side of a man she won't ever be allowed to hook-up with!"

Roy (a little stunned): "But…neither of us is military anymore."

Riza: "I've killed people for you! And for what? Oh, yeah, to follow you into hell until the very end, Lieutenant-Colonel Flame Alchemist Mustang, sir. To have my father's research mooched off of for the extermination of innocent people; to have the majority of my back charred off my body; to bug you with paperwork while you flirt with the hot interns; to cover your ass every time you make some God-awful passionate screw-up."

Roy (not really listening): "Riza, you're not my subordinate anymore."

Riza: "Most of my normal friends have kids; families with houses and cup-towels that aren't covered in their boss's blood."

Roy (almost talking to himself): "What's holding us back?"

Riza (almost talking to herself): "And I've got you, the boss-guy who was supposed to be Fuhrer someday. I gave up my pink sweaters and high-heels for you. I don't have kids or a house. Actually, come to think of it, I don't have my apartment anymore. I even lost my dog! And now I've lost my job. I lost my job, and the boss I gave it up for isn't even my boss anymore."

Roy: "Riza, will you marry me?"

Riza: "What?"

Roy: "We're defected. I'm officially allowed to propose to you."

Riza: "What?"

Roy: "Will you marry me?"

Riza: "…What?"

Roy (getting impatient): "Say you will. That's an order, Lieutenant."

Riza: "Oh, God. Did you just order me to be your wife?"

Roy: …

Riza: "Is that seriously the only tactic you have for getting your way?"

Roy: "It's worked before."

Riza: "No 'I love you' in there? That didn't cross your mind?"

Roy: "It's a simple question; yes, no. What? Do you need to think about it?"

Riza: "You've always been so suave with all the other girls. Even with me before I joined the military and became your nanny. I guess I expected something different. Better."

Roy (glowering): "What do you want me to say?"

Riza: "Alright."

Roy: "Alright?"

Riza: "Alright. Of course I'll marry you. Are you a complete idiot? It's about time!"

Fin


	33. Chapter 33: The Bathing Suit

Author's Note: Yay! I promised an actual follow-up on the plot and HERE. IT. IS. *brimming with pride for not falling asleep this time* I've had to pull some all-nighters :(

BTW: Still loving the ideas for OVAs! Creative minds here :)

Harryswoman: Why, thanks! It's funny how I just end up digging old stuff up when I need something to post but I can't write. I'd forgotten I'd even written that scene, to be honest :P

mixmax300: Yeah...my updating schedule basically means I update once every night (or morning) before I go to bed. And I have weird sleep paterns. That's why I get too sleepy to write sometimes, I'm afraid :S

otakgirlyy: Ha! I love it. I'm not really a fangirl, but it sounds fun as heck to write. It'll be interesting putting an EdxRoy "moment" together with some of my other suggestions. Maybe I'll get multiple OVAs out of all my suggestions instead of just one!

PhantomhiveHost: Yeah, kind of funnier than realistic, but cute.

Sky65: Nine to have you reading! And your comments are appreciated, no matter how many or how often you post :)

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Chapter 32: The Bathing Suit

"No," I said. I folded my arms to make it extra convincing. "Absolutely not."

It was the day after Maes and I had arrived in Resembool. The day after I'd fixed his automail with alchemy and given his dad hope for the future. The day after I'd willingly made out with Maes, and the day after I'd kind of rejected him in the strongest sense of the word.

The day after he'd said he'd wait for me.

And here Sophie was, insisting I slap on a swimsuit with her and go to the lake. And stare at Maes all afternoon. Maes, shirt off, wet, and swimming around with the sun on his skin.

"Oh, come on, Nina," said Sophie in an obnoxious whine. "You keep trying to make sense of those alchemy books all in one sitting and your mind won't be able to take it all. You can't learn alchemy overnight."

I knew that, but I kind of wished it was otherwise. I sucked my lip and had to stop because I started wishing it was Maes's lip I was sucking.

"I have extra swimsuits if that's what you're worried about," said Sophie. "I claim the one-piece."

"My scars would show," I said, hugging my stomach protectively.

"Well, it's not like anyone's going to see us. We have dibs on the edge of the lake behind our house."

Yeah, but Maes would see.

"I think I'll just read through some more books," I said.

"Dork," said Sophie. "You said your parents never let you go swimming with your friends because of the scars, right? So, here's your chance."

Yeah, thing was that not all my scars were worth complimenting.

"I'm not too good at swimming." As in, I didn't know how to swim.

"We're not going to go too deep," said Sophie. "Please!"

I heard the dreaded footsteps come to her doorway. Maes peaked in. I cursed Sophie for her stupid resonant voice.

"Hey, you're going swimming?" Maes asked. "I'm in."

Sophie smirked real evil at me. "See? Now you have to go."

My face got all hot. "No, now I definitely can't."

Maes blinked. "Am I not invited?"

"Sure you are," I said. "I'm just uninviting myself."

Maes stuck out his lip. "That's the same thing."

"No it isn't."

"It won't be the same without you," he said. "I won't even have fun. I'll just be thinking about you the entire time."

My cheeks got hot. I had to admit, he was pretty darn manipulative for such a nice guy.

"She's made up her mind," said Sophie. "Let's go while it's still hot outside."

Maes pouted at me. "Please, Nina? You just got here. I don't want to have fun without you."

"I'm good with my books." And not seeing you with your shirt off.

"Look," he said, getting a bit more on the level, "truth is, I haven't been strong enough to swim more than twice this summer, and the second time Sophie ended up helping me inside early because it started sprinkling. I had a really rough morning yesterday. Would you please humor me this once?"

I really couldn't figure out how to answer that in the negative in the time I was given. I should have just said I'd think about it until I came up with a good excuse, but I didn't realize it until after I blurted, "Fine. Whatever."

Sophie put her fist in the air and cocked her hip like an exotic victory-salute. Maes just grinned at me and mouthed, "Thanks," before running off to his room to change.

"You guys sure get excited about swimming," I said grimly.

Sophie hopped over to her door and locked us in. "Well, you wouldn't know. You've never gone in a lake before. It's the best part of summer."

"Summer's over for me," I said. "It's already gotten crisp in Central. And college courses start early August."

Sophie stared at me. "That's depressing."

She was shuffling through her closet—more like a tiny room full of clothes piles and fly-away hangers. I assumed she was rummaging for bathing suits. I'd never really worn a bathing suit except this one time when I was seven and Mom filled up the master bathtub to the brim with icy water and let me pretend I was at a swimming pool with my friends, her solution to five classmates in a row having their birthday parties at public pools. Mom bought me a little yellow bathing suit with girly pink frills on the hips for that one night, and I hopped out of that freezing monstrosity of the bathtub-pool before I'd even made it all the way in. I remembered my teeth getting chattery and saying something along the lines of, "I don't think I'm missing out on much, Mommy."

"Hey, how cold is this lake of yours?" I asked.

Sophie tossed in the air a few assorted balls of polyester that looked more like underwear than swimsuits to me.

Sophie laughed. "You're kidding, right? This is Resembool. It's been ninety degrees out every afternoon since May. The lake's like bathwater by now."

That sounded interesting.

"You're kind of skinny," said Sophie. "Really skinny. I guess you can try my bikini from middle school. It's in a drawer somewhere, I think."

I felt sort of patronized to be given the middle-school bathing suit of a girl who was a steady four years younger than me. I had to trust her on it, though. I hadn't ever really needed to pick out my own clothes before with everyone in PR getting to decide what Furhers' daughters were supposed to wear for me. I was at Sophie's mercy, which was just a little unsettling.

Sophie threw a couple red pieces of polyester at me and said, "Try it on."

'It' happened to be the equivalent of a tight pair of panties and a tighter bra with knotted string as a sad excuse for straps; except these were made from water-safe cloth instead of cotton. I really saw no other difference.

Sophie was already in her black one-piece and tying up her blondy mop into a mess of a bun when I'd finally got all the strings tied behind my back.

"You've got to be kidding me," I said, looking down at myself and tugging at the suit here and there. "This shouldn't be legal to wear out of the house."

"That one's actually pretty conservative," said Sophie, not even looking at me. "You'll see when we get outside with the heat. You'll be glad I gave you that one."

I kind of wondered if she had secret motives I hadn't caught onto or if she honestly didn't care. I felt a sulk coming on.

My skin was so white I looked like a freaking candy-cane with the red strapped to me. And the damn scars showed even worse than I'd thought they would, right down to the purple blotches under the left cheek of my butt and the hash of thin lines marking the side of my right boob straight under my armpit. Then there was the all-time winner, the trench of a scar carved from the underside of my jutting hipbone jagged across to my naval. It was the only scar I had that still got sore sometimes. Made sense with how ugly it was. Still gave me chills having to run my hands over it in the shower.

I didn't really like changing in front of my mom or anyone else, even the ones who'd already seen the scars. Especially after I got old enough to realize that they definitely weren't normal and people definitely noticed. Now the whole Elric brood was going to get a steady dose of them. I got that they'd let me in on all their horrible family secrets and shared stuff that was hard for them to talk about, but seriously. Maes was going to see.

And then there'd be that horrible moment when he wouldn't have anything nice and unexpected to say about the hidden beauty behind them.

Sophie continued to tie her hair up over and over. A few strands would get caught in her eyebrow ring and she'd have to start over. She was freaking absorbed.

"I thought no one was going to see us," I said, hugging the scars on my tummy in case she turned around this time. She didn't.

"Well, maybe not you and Maes," she said. "I'm meeting some friends in their yard for soccer after all this."

"Guy friends?" Just a wild guess.

"A few of them." And she admitted it with altogether no shame at all. "Go on to the bathroom in the hall and grab us some towels, okay?"

I hated going around and doing stuff in other people's houses. "You going to take a while?"

"Who knows?"

I sighed. I tugged on the top of my bikini. "Yeah, sure." I left her room.

So, on my way down the hall I devised this plan where I'd wrap my towel around me post-shower style until we got to the lake. Then I would catch an opportunity when the Elrics weren't paying attention and I'd drop the towel in time to get my body in the water up to my shoulders before they could see. I mean, it was a lake, right? The water wasn't too clear so they wouldn't see anything.

I went into the bathroom and opened the towel cabinet. There was like, one towel and it was way too nice-looking to take to a lake. Or, that's what I figured on. I grabbed it for a second just in case, but I put it back because I felt stupid carrying around a towel that was obviously too pretty to be used fresh out of the lake.

I guessed my thoughts were too loud for me to notice the stairs creaking as Maes came up. I was still thinking about my scars and I was getting just a little anxious. I came out of the bathroom doorway thinking maybe I should've just put the nice towel around me while I had the chance and then try to find some old ugly ones. When I looked up and saw Maes standing there in the hall staring at me with his jaw slack, I decided I definitely should have grabbed the fancy towel while I could.

I froze. Maes looked at me wide eyed, his face going red like I'd just kicked him really hard in the manhood. I glanced down at myself and grabbed my arms around my stomach really tight, like squeezing might cover it up more. I opened my mouth to apologize, but then I forgot what I'd opened my mouth for in the first place. My face was so hot I could practically feel it burning tears into my eyes. I breathed deep through my nose to suck the tears back in my face.

"Came for towels," said Maes with a crack in his voice. He cleared his throat.

"There aren't any," I said, speaking fast. "I mean...no, that's wrong. There was a nice one, but it was nice, so I left it. I thought I might take it anyway, but then I didn't. I…" My voice got a little stuck.

Maes kept his eyes pretty much to the side. He was breathing a little nervous. Then he suddenly just rushed on past me to Sophie's room. He didn't say anything to me. Didn't even look up. I hugged my stomach tighter and shrank back into the bathroom.

"Sophie!" I heard him yell. He was banging on her door like he was mad. "Sophie Elric, get out here!"

I heard the door swing open across the hall.

"Yeah, yeah. What's the problem?" Sophie asked kind of annoyed.

Maes spoke lower now like he wanted to keep it between the two of them, but the anger in him made the words kind of resonate a little. "What the hell made you think that was okay?"

"What?"

"That swimsuit you put her into."

"Oh. Did it look bad or something?"

"You didn't even look at her before she left your room," he said kind of bitter, "did you?"

Bingo.

"Well, I was fixing my hair," said Sophie, whining like a model little sister.

"Jeez, Soph!" said Maes. "Do you know how hard she is to look at like that? I won't be able to stand being in the same room with her. Cover her up!"

I backed into the sink, a little dizzy. What the heck? I'd known he wouldn't find it as gorgeous as the rest of me, but this was ridiculous.

"Alright, Maes," Sophie said, kind of sounding sarcastic. "Which of my clothes do you suggest I give up for her to ruin in the lake water, since you feel so strongly?"

"Dammit, Sophie!"

Then his voice got kind of quiet and hissy like he was making threats or something and Sophie was hissy back making threats of her own, all too quiet and rapid to hear. Then Sophie sighed like she was pissed and said, "Whatever." Her door shut. I heard Maes's footsteps coming back toward me down the hall. I started sucking my lip so hard I could have given myself a hicky if I'd kept going.

I heard Maes come up and it occurred to me that I probably should have just shut the door and put the damn towel on like I was supposed to. And maybe never come out of the bathroom again. But right as I wised up and reached for the doorknob, Maes came to the doorway and surprised me. Surprised him, too.

"Nina!" he said, practically jumping back like I was diseased and contagious.

His face was red again, all the way down his neck pretty much. He kept his eyes down, but I hid my stomach pretty good with my arms anyway. I backed into the bathroom again.

"Sorry," I said, hating how squeaky I sounded.

"No," he said, shaking his head with his eyes on the floor. His jaw flexed stiffly as he swallowed. "Just…"

I watched kind of puzzled as he pulled his black T-shirt off over his head, giving me a good look at his newly polished automail—plus his washboard abs. My heart skipped when he passed me the shirt and I realized I was still looking.

"Would you like to wear this on top?" he asked.

I took it from his hand. The shirt was still warm from being on him.

"Sure," I said. "Don't want to get sunburn, right?"

Maes kind of smiled. "Right."

I shook it out and pulled it on, kind of trying to think about how I got to wear Maes's T-shirt instead of why he was asking me to wear it. It fit kind of horrible, like a dress with baggy sleeves past my elbows. We were definitely different sizes in the clothing department.

Maes got a look at me with the giant shirt covering me up and gave a nod of approval. He cleared his throat. "Good girl."

What was I, his dog?

He smiled at me like I was pretty again. I bit my lip. I wanted him to stop smiling.

"Let's steal some towels from my mom and dad, okay?" he said putting his hand out to me.

His bruised-looking veins around his automail kind of stretched under his skin when he craned his arm out to me. It wasn't ugly or anything, but it was kind of freaky. Why did he get to go around showing that when I had to cover up my freaky stuff? I hugged my tummy even though he couldn't see it. I knew even my dad didn't like to see my marks, not even just around the house, but I'd seriously thought Maes would be my golden exception.

"You coming?" he asked, lowering his hand.

I nodded. First time swimming and I was thoroughly bummed. I missed my mom and her dumb tub full of cold water. I hated Sophie for stealing the one-piece to hide her stupid belly-button piercing.

Maes led me down the stairs gabbing about stuff, like what his mom had planned for dinner or something. I walked down with my bare feet. He had me stop at the bottom of the stairs while he snuck into the master bedroom with his dad asleep. He said his mom horded towels in their bathroom like a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter.

He hurried down the hall and I stood at the stairs feeling awkward and wishing Sophie would get the hell downstairs. Then Maes came up behind me with an armload of towels and surprised the living crap out of me.

"We're good to go!" he said with a cheesy grin.

I forced a smile. "Yay."

He gestured behind him with his head. "Let's go out the back. There's not really anyone walking by the house right now, but I'd rather not risk a neighbor catching a look at my hardware."

He lowered the towels to point to his automail with his chin, like I hadn't known what he was referring to. I nodded and followed him to the back door, watching the contours of his sun-browned back and bony shoulders as he walked. He was wearing nothing but a pair of brown, knee length shorts, and a canvas belt with the buckle double-knotted at the front to keep them up.

The male models in Elysia's swimwear magazines wore tighter stuff that stuck to their butts like underwear. I was kind of glad Maes wore his own version of swimwear.

We walked outside with both of us barefoot. It was the first time in a while I'd felt grass all between my toes. It was actually pretty darn itchy. Maes set the towels on the little black patio and pointed out to the sparkly lake.

"It's getting a little later in the day, so the sun won't be right on us," he said. "Just tell me if the air gets too cold and we can go inside, okay?"

I nodded, a little lackluster. He put out his hand to me again with a smile, ready to lead me over. I looked at it and wanted to take it, but then I got all sour and disappointed feeling and I shrugged him off and walked past him like a scorned pre-teen.

"Nina?" he said behind me. He caught up to me. "You alright?"

"Fine," I said. I kept walking.

"Did you really not want to swim?" he asked, like he was trying to guess my issue. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force you. I thought once you got out here you'd start having fun. You don't have to…Nina?"

I stopped because I realized about the same time he did that my eyes were leaking tears all over my cheeks. I sniffed and wiped them off with his T-shirt's flappy sleeve. Damn it.

Maes got a finger under my chin and made me look at him. "Nina?"

I shoved him off, mostly because I was embarrassed for crying, but a little because I was angry, too. "It's not my fault," I said, turning away and crossing my arms. "I haven't let anyone see them since I was in elementary school. How was I supposed to know? I mean, I see them every day. I'm used to it. It wasn't like I meant to freak you out."

Maes came around to stand kind of beside me. It was like it didn't really register to him that I'd turned my back to him on purpose.

"What exactly are we talking about, again?" he asked. It was scary how genuine he sounded.

"Shut up," I said. "I'm not joking."

"Yeah…" he said. "What am I not supposed to be joking about, Nina?"

I looked up at him. He looked kind of worried and puzzled and adorable. I sucked my lip a little. Then I spit it out when I couldn't stop looking at his lips. I lowered my eyes to look at the grass and got a little upset having to say it out loud.

"It's nothing," I said. "I know they're awful. I shouldn't take it so personally. I mean, I don't like looking at burn victims who've taken a flame-thrower to the face."

Maes took my shoulder and bent down to meet my eyes. He looked kind of nervous for my mental wellbeing. "Could you please start from the beginning?"

I pulled away from him. I took a couple steps back and planted firm like a display in a museum. I gripped the bottom of his black shirt and lifted it above my middle to show off the worst of the damage. I winced in advance, preparing for his look of horror.

But he just stood there. No flush, no looking away, no getting awkward all the sudden. Actually he was looking straight at it. His gaze was really completely locked, and his eyes were focused and totally not happy. He stared for a while and I finally just dropped my shirt because I didn't know what else to do.

"That," I said. "I was talking about…that."

Maes met my eyes and he was all silent and still. His eyes had gotten a little heavy like he was really actually deeply sad about something. I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt.

"You were crying because you thought I couldn't stand to see that?" he said, finally.

I pulled at the shirt. "Well, yeah, I'm not stupid. You didn't make me wear your shirt to keep the sunburn off. I heard you talking to Sophie. You were freaking loud."

Maes laughed a little strained, like he would have laughed all the way if something hadn't already been there to hold it back. "You are pretty stupid."

I started to retaliate, but he cut me off on purpose.

"Your scars are terrible," he said. That bit so bad I flinched. He came closer and took my shoulder again like he was keeping me still. "Not because they look terrible, Nina. It's just terrible to think what had to happen for them to last this long. Do you understand that? They make me sad. They're not ugly. They're sad. Even the pretty ones are sad. I just didn't feel like I should say that out loud. Does that make sense?"

I felt a little cared for. I really liked it. But then that sour feeling started up again. "So you put this shirt on me because my body made you sad?" It sounded a little pathetic.

Maes let go of my shoulder pretty abruptly after I said that. I got a good look at his face and it was getting blushy again.

"Maes…?" I said.

"It wasn't because of the scars," he said. "Don't worry about it."

"What?" I crossed my arms. "Now I'm worried about it."

Like I'd kicked him in the manhood.

"What?" I said.

"It wasn't because your body made me sad, Nina," he said. "It was more like your body made me…" He trailed off and cleared his throat all awkward. "You looked a little too good."

I blinked. "Too good?"

Maes looked to the side, thoroughly uncomfortable. I was glad he was looking away because I was starting to smile.

"Wait," I said. "You made me wear this because I…?"

"A guy can only take so much," said Maes. "Really, Nina."

I had a sudden urge to get back to the bikini on its own, just to flaunt my power a little. I grabbed Maes's wrist and jiggled it.

"Thank you," I said. "I thought you thought I was gross!"

Maes sighed and went ahead and looked down at me. "Look, I kissed you yesterday then you told me I couldn't do it again for another who knows how long. Could you give me a break here?"

I felt just a little warm in my cheeks, but I was mostly just happy I was still pretty to him. If he was going to wait for me until his dad was saved, it'd be a shame to find out along the way that he couldn't stand the sight of me. Plus, it turned out even Maes Elric had the capacity to blush. And I'd been the one to do it for him.


	34. Chapter 34: What Now?

Author's Note: Gah! I was supposed to be in bed five hours ago! ...Oops?

Well, I don't have time to reply to all my reviews right now (I usually don't make a habit of snubbing you, I swear). I will say that Sri Lanka and New Zealand are both WAY cool (and that definitely explains the Brit spelling). I am from...USA? I've lived a few different places, though :) Oh! I wish I was good at life and could ride a dirtbike. I got some scars, but they're not from anything cool like dirtbiking. Those are battle scars!

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Chapter 34: What Now?

It was dusk when I bolted up from sleeping in the grass. My heart was pounding so fast I could barely catch my breath through it. I shuddered kind of panicked when I realized my feet were surrounded in liquid. I looked down in front of me and realized my feet were still swung over the edge of the lake, pruned up from being under the water for too long. I still had Maes's shirt over Sophie's bikini for what had become our daily visits to the lake. They'd lent their clothes to me four days in a row now. The shirt kind of stuck to me, kind of damp with cool sweat from nightmaring in the heat of summer.

I kind of remembered the sun being out when I'd dozed off, but it was setting now. I wondered how long I'd been asleep here at the water's edge. I didn't see Sophie or Maes splashing around in the lake in front of me anywhere.

I sat up a little more, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand, getting my bearings. Clenching my fingers made my palm smart like hell. I caught the scent of smoke in my nose. I hissed and jerked my hand open. I leaned forward in kind of a panic and shoved both my hands under the water. Damn water wasn't even cold. Just made the burns hurt worse.

Maes ran up behind me and told me, "Don't do that!"

I was more than willing to remove myself from the warm freaking water, but Maes still felt the need to lean over me to take my arms and yank my hands out for me. The sting hit like a lot of little bites the moment my hands were exposed to the open air. I winced.

"That water's not clean," said Maes, pulling me away from my seat at the edge. "Your burns will get infected."

I could hear the ground pounding hard pretty close behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of Sophie stamping out the last of the flames dying in the prickly grass. I felt my lips mutter, "Shit!" under my breath. Maes put his hand on the top of my head and turned my face forward again so I was looking over the lake. The sun was setting over it pretty nice. It made the water glow like amber.

"Ow!" I said. Maes had taken hold of my tender burnt hands.

"Sorry," he said softly, kind of guilt-stricken. "Bear with me, okay?"

He rested my hands in my lap for safekeeping. He wiped his damp hands off on his damp shorts like it would do anything, then he dug his right index finger in the mud near the edge so the tip got brown and pasty. He smeared a quick transmutation circle on the back of his left hand. Looked kind of like alchehestry except tweaked.

"Sorry, Nina," he said. "We didn't get to you fast enough. This is going to hurt for a second."

I looked at my hands as they made it into his. Yeah, they weren't too pretty. Last time I'd burned through them this bad I'd had to wake my dad up out of bed because I couldn't get them to heal on my own. I felt stupid for napping in the sun with Maes and Sophie a hundred feet away swimming. I could feel the sting of sunburn pulling at the exposed spaces on my skin.

I bit my lip when Maes clasped my hands in his, his palm to my palms, both at the same time. His hands were big enough to hold both of mine in one. It hurt in a piercing way like there were a lot of fountain pens being stuck through to the bone. I felt bad for cringing. It hurt, but it was probably nothing compared to storm sickness and all his junk.

"Don't worry," said Sophie. "He's the best. He won't leave any scars."

Scars? Please. What difference could a couple more on my palms possibly make at that point?

Maes had his eyes on our joined hands and the next moment there was like that glow—no, a flash—of red light from the transmutation. It kind of hurt in a sharp way, but it happened so quick I didn't have time to make a fuss about it. I didn't even count to two before he'd let go of my hands and showed off my perfect healed skin to me. Good as new. Well, good as it had been.

"Nice," I said, shaking out my hands like they were wet or something. "Thanks, Maes."

Maes wiped the muddy array from the back of his hand onto the front of his shorts. "Next time just tell us if you're tired, okay?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal," said Sophie.

I stood, not exactly myself. "Sure."

It was weird how it didn't seem to pass their minds that me performing that level of Flame Alchemy in my sleep equated to a pretty shitty dream prior.

I'd arrived at the Elric home five days ago, five flipping days ago. I knew it was reaching for the stars a little, but I'd kind of been aiming for the nightmares to get a little fewer. Unfortunately, I'd been stressed over saving Uncle Ed, handling my parents over in Central, controlling my alchemy to use it on my terms, and not to mention not falling in love with Maes. Plus, Sophie had a bad habit of talking all night at slumber parties and I wasn't getting the best sleep. All that didn't really make for watered-down dreams.

I'd never been a big reader back at home. I mean, I read for school pretty good and I read on my own when someone suggested a good read, but I never considered it a hobby. But dang! Reading those alchemy books was like second nature to me from the get go. I plowed through those manuals and notes like none other, remembered pretty much every bit.

Maes and Uncle Ed started doing this thing at dinner where they'd ask me random junk about anything having to do with alchemy and then I'd answer and they'd get all entertained. I could tell Aunt Winry kind of hated it, though. Probably because Uncle Ed would get all impressed at me and say to Winry, "See, gearhead? Maes and I aren't the only ones who think in alchemy. You should learn from Nina's example and quit being such a loser conformist."

"Communication relies on conformity, Ed!" she'd say back. "Otherwise you just sound like an idiot. Leave poor Nina alone. She doesn't want to be lumped in with the alchemy freaks."

Then Maes would look up and say, "Gearhead? Alchemy freak?" Because he did both.

And Winry and Ed would both turn to him and say, "Not you, Maes. You're fine."

Anyway, we had conversations like that basically every night, and it was pretty cool at first. I pretty much wowed the Elrics with how naturally I took to alchemy. I kind of wowed myself. I'd managed a few basic transmutations with Maes's help by my second day, and by my third I was able to do them on my own.

The next morning I even turned Uncle Ed's table fork into a tricked-out bracelet as a surprise when Sophie and I took him breakfast in bed—and I did it without a transmutation circle! When Uncle Ed called Maes in all excited to show him my handiwork, Maes looked at me all charged and restrained like he really wanted to give me a make-out sesh of gratitude. I seriously wanted to accept, but then I transmuted Aunt Winry's good tableware back into a fork and left the bedroom to comb my hair instead.

So, the Elrics were happy, pretty much impressed and way optimistic. They kept saying stupid stuff like, "I can't believe it! This might really be it this time! Nina's our savior! Yay Nina! Blah-blah-blah…" Because all they saw was how quick I understood their books and how fast I picked up using all the different transmutation circles Uncle Ed threw at me.

They didn't exactly get how only half the stuff I did was what I'd meant to do. Really, I'd wanted to learn alchemy so I could gain control over my abilities. All that had happened was I'd now learned voluntary alchemy on top of the involuntary stuff I'd started out with.

Maybe a lot of my results were better when the transmutations went out of my hands, but even if a transmutation turned out better than what I'd intended, I didn't really consider it a good thing if it'd basically transmuted itself. My transmutation to Maes's automail had corrected the connection between metal and body, but it could just have easily severed the connection entirely to solve the block in his life's flow.

The thing was, no matter how much I was able to grasp or how capable an alchemist I became, my abilities were nothing if I still fumbled my control without warning during transmutations. And every day was the same thing; improving at voluntary alchemy but going nowhere in controlling the involuntary.

I sat on the Elrics' living room couch with one of Uncle Ed's stacks of notes and a pencil. Sophie was still upstairs since she had let me have the first shower after nearly burning my hands off, and Maes was lying down in his room from all the exertion at the lake, so I got to be alone for a while. I liked the Elrics' company, I really did, but I'd been an only child for twenty-one years with both my parents working for most of it. I needed occasional space.

My hands shook a little as I went through the notes. They looked kind of old with tiny crinkles and tears here and there and some coffee rings on the fifth and sixth pages. Maes had given me a head start before lunch by telling me they were some of the steps involved in making portable transmutation circles for specialized alchemy like the ones on my dad's pyrotex ignition gloves. I kind of didn't see the whole point in it since my 'pyrotex' was already branded into my fingertips and the basics I could do just by clapping my hands together, but Uncle Ed had told me it never hurt to have all my bases covered.

Uncle Ed got proud and told me Maes had mastered a bunch of different specialized alchemic techniques besides just metal and basic alchehestry; made me think of those gloves with all the circles on them he'd worn in Rush Valley when he was fixing automail. Apparently his varied alchemy had really come in handy with all the work he'd done making people better and stuff. Uncle Ed wanted me to practice mapping out my own adaptations of transmutation circles for a while since I'd already figured out how to do the golden standards.

In other words, he wanted me to graduate from the textbooks and start thinking for myself. Because they'd already tried what was in the books and none of it was going to save Uncle Ed on its own.

I flipped to a page that I decoded straight away as formulas to successful tattoos for specialized arrays. I licked my dry lips, picturing all the different transmutation circles I'd learned so far tattooed up and down my biceps like a salty seaman. I'd make those circles dance when I flexed my arms. Mr. Armstrong would be so proud! I grabbed my pencil without thinking and scribbled a big twinkly smile at the top corner of the page. Here was something I could enjoy reading.

"Hey, that's not math homework you've got there," said Uncle Ed. He limped into the room with his cane clacking on the floor. "Could you try to hold back on the doodles?"

I put my pencil down on coffee table right quick, feeling pretty darn embarrassed. "Oops."

Uncle Ed gave me a cheeky smile and sat heavy in an armchair across from me. He rested his cane next to him and leaned back on the cushion behind him. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Jeez," he said. "I'm not sure how much longer I can stand being an invalid. I'm not even all the way to forty yet. Your dad would have a field day if he saw me hunched over with this cane."

"My dad would be so ashamed he wouldn't be able to look you in the eye," I said. "Then he'd spend the rest of his life hating himself for not being able to save you. Even if everyone told him it wasn't his fault."

Uncle Ed smiled with that underlying sadness that he pretty much seemed to carry everywhere he went. "Like father like daughter?"

I looked away. Dang. I really had sounded like I was talking about myself. I figured I might seem less stupid if I didn't admit I hadn't done it on purpose.

"You're helping us, aren't you?" Edward said. "You're helping, Nina. No one made you help us. Even if I don't make it, you helped us."

I set the notes on the coffee table with the pencil. "How are you feeling, Uncle Ed?" I asked.

He looked a little taken off guard. "Fine, I guess."

"No," I said. "How are you feeling?"

I looked him in the eye all firm and serious. He swallowed.

"I can walk. That's a good sign."

I nodded. "Do you think you can hold out until I get back from Xing."

His eyes widened. "Xing?"

"If you're not sure I can try to figure something else out."

"Why Xing?"

I folded my hands on my knees, leaned forward. "Maes said you have a friend there with a Philosopher's Stone inside of him."

Uncle Ed looked pretty dang riled up. "No way! I'm not using innocent souls to—"

"I read all about this Philosopher's Stone," I said. "It's got to be the most tangled up life-force there is with all those conflicting souls in there. If I could just figure out how something like that manages to flow inside a person in perfect enough circulation to make them immortal and all regenerative and junk…." I trailed off. "Maybe I'll be able to save you."

"You're doing fine on your own, Nina."

I felt my cheeks blushing all self-conscious. I looked at my knees. "My life-force…it's tangled. I can't make it do what I want. I have no real control over it. It's a miracle I didn't kill Maes trying to match his life-force to mine when I did."

I heard Uncle Ed breathing, actually more like breathless, like a panic.

I shrugged with my eyes still down. "I can't save you Uncle Ed. My life-force will kill you. I can't use my alchemy without that happening. I'm sorry."

"But," he said kind of shaky, "if you felt the force of a Philosopher's Stone?"

"There's a chance it could help me correct my life-force." I looked at him. He was drained and pale as ever. "Honestly, the more I read and the more I hear, I think that experiencing the flow of the Philosopher's Stone may be the key to full manipulation of life-forces in all respects."

Uncle Ed looked kind of grave. He rested his chin on his fist like he was kind of dizzy or sleepy or something and he looked away from me for a while. When he looked up, his expression was all disgruntled like he could faint.

He shook his head. "Then you're done," he said.

I sat up straight. "What?"

"It's over," he said, his voice shaky and sad and kind of a little scared. "Go home."

"Wait, why?" I hadn't seen this coming.

"You're the Fuhrer's daughter," he said. "You can't cross into foreign countries without at least three guards with you, even friendly countries like Xing."

"I'm fine," I said, figuring I'd plan it out as I went along.

He banged his fist on his armrest real upset, made me jump. "No!" he snapped. He met my eyes pretty darn severe. "Not a chance. I don't care who you are. No human should have the power to command life, even with good intentions."

"What the hell?" Yeah, I couldn't help but say it. "This is a damn good idea. You want me to save you or not?"

He balled up his fists tight and angry. "I'll die before I see humans playing God again."

It made me a little more than irritated to hear him say that. "Careful, you just might get what you ask for."

"Look, Nina, I don't want to die, but I've been around longer than you. I've seen power like what you're talking about and I've seen what it can do when humans abuse it. It's not pretty. I won't subject this world to that kind of hell again."

"Wait, you're talking about me, right?" I asked, getting offended in a major way. "Because, I'm the only one around who can manipulate life-forces to begin with, so you must be referring to me when you talk about humans abusing power. Seriously, Uncle Ed?"

"I don't worry about you," he said. "But there are other people who will want what you have, and when they find out you have it—which they will, they will not stop until they've gotten it from you."

"I'm not that flashy."

"Please don't argue."

"You're thirty-nine years old! You're not supposed to die until your kids have kids and your wife has a few greys."

"I've thought of that."

This wasn't working. I'd gone and wasted my last resort on him. I'd been working it out all five days I'd been here. Now he was telling me to go home like a failure and I'd probably never hear from the Elrics again, just like what had happened to my parents sixteen years ago. I'd killed Uncle Ed before I'd even had a good shot at saving him. I was killing him!

I stood tall, fists on my hips and glaring. "You die and Maes will try to bring you back."

I realized pretty quick I'd hit a giant nerve. Uncle Ed's face creased up with hot anger, he leaned in his seat like he really wanted to hop up and stand taller than me.

"Leave my son out of it," said Uncle Ed. "He's smarter than that."

"Sophie told me he had planned on going through the Portal back when you first gave up your life-force to him," I said, just stating the facts. "She said he wanted to learn the Truth like we did so he could help you himself, but he knew in his condition that he'd never make it through alive."

"It was an impulse," said Uncle Ed. "He and I talked about it. Drop it, Nina."

I didn't drop it. "I fixed his automail, remember? It's only been five days and he's already saying this is the best he's felt in years. I wonder how long it'll take before he decides he's strong enough to make it through the Truth."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know Maes."

"You don't know my kid," said Uncle Ed. "You've known him for two weeks. I've been with him since the day he was born. He's not going to go through the Gate."

But I was kind of thinking Maes would if I left. He'd kind of hinted at wanting to around me. Majorly hinted at times. If Uncle Ed went on his deathbed after I left, Maes was liable to go ahead and transfer his entire life-force into his dad just to save the guy. I'd made the dumb mistake of talking about the concept with Maes over lunch a couple days ago. Maes had likely been taking detailed mental notes, now that I thought about it.

Uncle Ed was breathing heavy, kind of hoarse and frantic. I figured the poor guy had just accepted his rapidly approaching untimely death and I was just stating things he probably already knew. The backs of my eyes felt swollen like little round sponges full of salty tears. I sucked my lip like I was sucking my thumb.

I stepped in front of Uncle Ed's armchair. He was sitting still, breathing, leaning his cheek on his hand like he was lightheaded and breathing like he'd just run five miles. I put my hand on the armrest and patted top of his golden head like I did with my dad when he'd had a hard day at work. Uncle Ed looked up, a little caught off guard and I stood up straight again and smiled at him, trying not to make it one of those unfortunate grim smiles.

"What was that for?" he asked, running his fingers through the patch of hair my hand had touched.

"I'm sorry I argued," I said. "It's just, for a minute I really thought I could…"

"It was never your responsibility, Nina," he said, giving me a weak smile. "Thanks for giving me a fighting chance."

I nodded, feeling the tears welling up again. "I think I'll go cry in the bathroom, now."

He actually grinned without meaning to. "You sound just like Maes. Won't let anyone see him cry."

I sniffled. This wasn't fair. "See you," I said. I backed up and turned to walk away. Uncle Ed cleared his throat to get my attention when I got to the door, though. I looked over my shoulder. He had that strained smile put on just for me.

"Please," he said, "do me a favor. Don't go right away. Stay a while and fake it for a few days. I want to see them smile for just a little longer."

I sniffled a little shakier. "Yeah, sure. As long as you need."

I turned to the door.

"Nina," he said to my back, "don't tell them about Xing. They don't need to know I turned down my only chance."

I nodded. He was sort of right. I wanted to clobber him for being right.

I walked out into the hall and sniffed so shaky it actually sounded more like a sob. I felt like such a screw-up it was insane. I liked my Uncle Ed. I liked how great a dad he was and how much he and his wife loved each other and how he and Sophie griped at each other over little things. I liked how Maes looked up to him. I liked how Maes was his biggest fan and had the coat to show for it. I liked how they had the same smile.

"Damn!" I said to myself. "I was going to put him and Dad in the same room someday. I wanted to see that."

"Hey, Nina!" said Maes, coming down the hall from the kitchen. "Mom's making cornbread casserole."

Ew. "Sounds great."

"You okay?" he asked, looking close at me. "Are you crying?"

I squinted the tears out of my eyes and rubbed them off with my fist. "Just homesick."

"Well, you can call your folks if you miss them," he said. "You know you can make yourself at home."

I nodded, sniffing. "Yeah."

Maes grinned at me with that contagious crooked smirk of his. All his teeth together, all white and pearly with his lips curled a little at the corners of his mouth. "Cheer up." He took a hanky out from his pocket and gave it to me.

I shook my head. "I'm good now."

He kept smiling, shoving the hanky more in my face. I was about to refuse again, feeling all awkward and junk standing there not telling his dad was going to die. But then I caught it, the flaw in his perfect mischievous grin. It was his eyes. They weren't glinting, dancing, glittering, none of it. They were hollow, but with something thick and heavy underneath. The gold was clouded with grey.

I took the hanky.

"I'll see you at the table, okay?" he said. "I'm going to go say 'hi' to Dad."

I nodded and waited him to go. I stood alone in the hall with nothing but walls in back and in front of me and a wooden floor beneath me. It was freaky how terrifying simplicity could be in the right moment. The tears came down my face way too quick. I felt my body quake and I told myself to go to the bathroom to let the rest out, but my knees were too wobbly to make any solid attempts.

I shook out the hanky, actually having a use for it now. Maes had done a crummy job of folding it. I sniffled quietly, scrunching the hanky up to dab my wet eyes. But I stopped. I held the hanky in front of me and unscrunched it.

In one corner of the white square of material, I could just see it. Words written in tight cursive, scrawled in black pen in short, three to four word rows: "At exactly 1:00am, get up for a glass of water. Bring your Train Pass and Passport."


	35. Chapter 35: Uncles

Author's Note: I feel so bad. I talked about how I don't sleep much and now I've got people thinking it's the fanfic. Actually, there's a bigger story behind it and the fact is I have trouble sleeping in a major way. Fanfic posts are just one of the many ways I occupy my time while I'm awake at all hours. I get tired sometimes cuz all that staying awake builds up over time. No biggy. The daily posts are actually a challenge I made for myself to teach me how to pace myself with an iron fist with my writing. That's why I stick to it so strictly. I'm kind of practicing for when I start writing novels at home. Thanks for the concern, though :) Explained? Good.

SavFFLover: "Adventure time! Come on, grab your Maes...and take Nina Mustang to a...distant place. With Ed the pipsqueak (cough, former) and Roy the Fuhrer; shut up and just be friends. Adventure tiiiiime!" *awkward pause* You said it was 'Adventure time' for Maes and Nina. I couldn't help myself.

mixmax300: Clifford?! A band?! Gahahahaha! I seriously laughed out loud. That's priceless. I love it!

Harryswoman: You gotta love the stubborn-Ed phenomenon :P

Awsome anon: Omgsh! That sounds PERFECT! Wow, I'm not sure I would've thought of any of these on my own. Never.

PhantomhiveHost: About Nina saying "kind of" a lot...No, she's not unsure of stuff when she says that. I guess you could say it's just her 'dialect.' Professionals call it a narrator's 'voice.' In other words, Nina just talks funny. AKA, "Nina kind of more or less talks pretty much completely dang funny or something and junk." :P

illovebooks: Yeah, that seems to be the general verdict...So exciting! So great! BUT ED'S BEING STUBBORN! THAT BITCH WON'T EVEN SAVE HIMSELF! DON'T YOU DIE ON ME, DAMMIT! *cough* Gotta love Ed and his stiff moral code.

otakgirlyy: Aw, Edward Elric always has a billion people rooting for him wherever he goes. Even in a random fanfic about his hypothetical son, he still manages to get support from the fic's commenters for his survival. Poor thing makes so many enemies. It's amazing how many friends he always seems to have at the end of the day. Haha!

* * *

Chapter 35: Uncles

Sophie fell asleep at around midnight. I could pretty much tell when she was really hardcore sleeping when she'd kicked all her covers onto the floor and she'd sprawled out with her hand tucked under her shirt so her tummy was out. Plus there was the big-mouthed snoring. My favorite. Luckily, tonight it was a good thing for her to keep me awake with her loud breathing. I needed to stay alert and watch the time. One o'clock was my target and Maes had told me to make it 'sharp.'

I tiptoed out of Sophie's room a few minutes early so I'd have some wiggle room. I wanted to take my time getting downstairs so I wouldn't make anything creak too loud.

I'd thought earlier about bringing my backpack down with me. I kind of wanted my stuff. But I figured Maes had only mentioned taking my Train Pass and ID for a reason. If one of the Elrics caught me or Maes conspiring downstairs at night, fully dressed with suitcases in our hands, things could get dicey.

I already had my purse hanging by the door with my papers in my wallet. I could buy a new toothbrush on the way and replace all my clothes and junk once we were in Xing. Anyway, traveling in my jammies seemed kind of cool. I was way game.

I got into the kitchen and it seemed kind of empty. Through the dark, I could only just make out on the wall clock that the time was 12:58am. I guessed I really was supposed to come at one sharp. I decided I'd better just follow orders and get myself a glass of water.

Maes came in before I even got a glass out of the cabinet. Kind of freaked me out, hearing his light footsteps coming into the kitchen with everything dim and stuff. I probably would have kept my lips zipped anyway, but he stepped over to me and put his finger on my lips right away to make sure. He wasn't taking chances.

I looked at him in the dark around us. His hair was all ruffled like he hadn't even run his fingers through it since getting up, which I was sure he hadn't. He was in one of his black t-shirts he wore because his automail wouldn't show through so bad and a pair of dark green pajama pants that actually managed to fit his skinny build and really long legs. I'd been wearing Sophie's satiny purple pajama shorts and top to bed since getting to Resembool since my PJs from home were too warm for the weather here. She'd said I could borrow them indefinitely since she'd recently swapped her wardrobe to all black and red, so I figured it was okay for me to wear them to Xing. Me and Maes were a damn frumpy pair and we'd be the sexiest couple in any crowd.

Maes stepped close to me and leaned his head down to speak in my ear, barely audible from even that close. He was really taking this utter silence thing seriously.

"You sure you won't regret it?" he asked. He was making sure I wasn't planning on flaking later.

I pushed up on my toes and pulled his shoulder down so I could whisper back into his ear. "I force feed you four bottles of two-percent milk if you keep asking crap like that."

Maes gripped hard on his mouth to choke a laugh back. I could see the smile in his eyes, not just amused, but relieved. He breathed out. He nodded. He led me out of the kitchen.

We got to the door and Maes unhooked my purse for me while I grabbed my shoes. I wasn't going to put them on until we made it onto the road. The things were too damn clackity when I walked. Maes stepped into his leather lace-ups at the doormat and quietly unlocked the door. I'd never heard such a careful, delicately executed unlocking in my life. It was like Maes had snuck out before. A lot. I knew he kind of hadn't, but still. We were golden.

He twisted the knob for the moment of truth, the moment the door would creak open and we'd see how loud it decided to creak. Maes opened the door to a gap just big enough for me to slip through, the creaky hinges hardly creaking with the careful force he applied. I went around him and walked through the door. I made it onto the safety of the stoop and breathed.

Maes soon joined me, shutting the door with a muffled thud and locking it behind us with the key from under the mat. He grinned pretty giant at me and the moonlight made his teeth shine almost like aligned little squares of perfect white. I felt myself smiling back. Maes gestured to the path before us like he was doing the gentlemanly, "After you," thing. I nodded like we were playing a game and went on. We didn't say a word. We wouldn't until we were good and safe from that house.

Maes whipped his head around before I even heard the door creak. "Baby?" said Aunt Winry through the stillness. I gulped. Oh, damn.

I watched Maes's eyes dart, not like he was looking around, but like he was thinking of all kinds of options at once and trying to pick one. I figured he mostly just wanted to make a run for it.

"Couldn't sleep," he said, unable to meet her eyes. I could see it in him, his world crumbling fast.

"Nina either?" asked Aunt Winry.

"Nina either," said Maes.

I watched her nod, her extra-long blonde hair swishing down her back. She looked kind of scared, but she actually looked a little settled, too. She looked okay.

"So," said Aunt Winry, still standing in the door, "just going on a walk to clear your heads?"

"Yeah," said Maes. I could tell he was waiting for it, the moment she quit toying with him and told him to get his butt back inside.

"Well," she said, "maybe you should take some automail gear with you just in case you need to make adjustments while you two are on your walk."

Maes's expression changed immediately, down to his posture. He was perked up like a fox with his eyes bright like they had constellations trapped inside them. Aunt Winry took a step back and reached for something she had on the ground inside. She brought it out, a long rectangular case that rattled like tools.

"Izumi still hasn't gotten around to mailing the luggage you left behind at Dublith Station back to us," said Aunt Winry. "So, you can borrow my automail equipment in the meantime. For your walk."

Maes kept his eyes right on his mom as he stepped forward and took the black case from her. This was too bizarre.

Aunt Winry took a look at me. "There are band-aids in the metal box with the miscellaneous bolts. In case Nina falls asleep."

My eyes bugged just a little.

"On our walk?" asked Maes softly.

Aunt Winry smiled tenderly. "On your walk."

Maes swung his mom's black case over his shoulder and stepped on up to her to give her a hug. I watched her arms weave around him and squeeze tight like she missed him already. Probably did. He drew away. "Thanks, Mom," he said.

Aunt Winry nodded. "Wait. One more thing." She stepped inside again and this time came out with a folded up mess of red cloth. I watched Maes stand a little taller when he realized what it was. He took it from his mom and unfolded it. He shook it out and smiled at it like he was smiling at his best friend. That ugly red coat. There was a very real possibility that he did consider that abomination to be his best friend.

"Just in case the weather shifts while you're on your walk," Aunt Winry said.

Maes chuckled and gave his mom a peck on the cheek. "We'll be back soon."

She nodded, reaching up to touch his face. I could see the shine of tears in her eyes.

"We'll be back soon, Mom," Maes said.

She nodded. She let him go. She looked at the ground as he started to walk away with me. She looked up.

"Nina," she said. I looked over my shoulder. She met my eyes. "Don't let him do anything stupid."

I gave her a smile. "You'll get him back in one piece," I said. "Swear on my life."

Aunt Winry went back inside before we'd made it out of view. Maes said she wanted to get back to the bedroom so Uncle Ed wouldn't get suspicious if he woke up and she wasn't around. She wanted to make sure to buy us at least enough time to make it onto a train before Uncle Ed tried to do something about it.

Seriously, he apparently had serious connections with the station in Resembool, kind of a frequent traveler in his younger days. One phone call from him and Resembool Station wouldn't let me and Maes on.

"Hey, hold on a minute," I said. I dropped my shoes on the ground and walked into them. "Okay, I'm good."

Maes smiled. "You look great. Your pajamas don't fit in with your shoes at all."

"Thanks," I said. I didn't get how my clashing outfit made me look 'great' exactly, but I knew he saw it.

"Hey," he said. "I heard you tell my dad I'd commit the taboo to save him." Maes didn't sound nearly as grave as he usually did talking about that stuff. It was a little unsettling. "You were right. I would. I hadn't realized you'd picked up on that."

"You've been kind of obvious," I said. "I get where you're coming from. I'd go through the Portal again if my dad's life depended on it, if that means anything."

"I guess we're a little selfish like that," he said with a light chuckle.

"Or maybe we just love them too much."

"Yeah."

I walked with him, keeping up with his longer strides easily with all the adrenaline going through my body. "Why are you so happy? Usually you get down in the dumps any time we talk about your dad."

Maes shrugged. "I know nothing's certain, but what I heard you say about analyzing Ling's life-force…I think you can do it. After what I've seen, I know you can learn how to manipulate human life, Nina. And I know you're not the kind of person who would ever abuse that kind of power. I just know." He looked at me like I was something special. "I think you'll be able to help my dad. I think you'll be able to help a lot of people."

"What? Like it doesn't end with your dad?" I asked, kind of skeptical.

"That's up to you," he said. "I just see the possibilities, that's all. You asked why I seemed happier."

Yeah, I guessed I had asked. Now I just had to figure out how I felt about his answer.

"Hey, Nina?" said Maes, inquisitive sounding.

"Yep?"

"When you 'experience' my Uncle Ling's life-force, will you be putting your hands on him like you did to me when you fixed my automail?"

I paused. "Hm. Yeah, guess so. Why?"

Maes shook his head. "No reason." He looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "Don't take too long. He might like it."

Uncle Ling? Immortal Emperor Uncle Ling, full of wisdom and compassion and a whopping Philosopher's Stone in his blood?

"He might like it?" I said. "What the hell? What kind of emperor of a nation perves on young girls from foreign lands? That's got to be illegal."

Maes laughed kind of hard. "Young girl? Nina, this is my Uncle Ling we're talking about. You're an older woman to him."

I wrinkled my nose and said, "What?" Seriously—what?

Maes quaked with little subdued laughs. "Ling was fifteen years old when he came to Amestris looking for immortality. He wasn't a seasoned leader over his clan. He was just a kid! Same age as my dad!" Maes kept laughing and I felt dumb. "Uncle Ling may be older in years, but his body's younger than my little sister's. He's stuck in fifteen." Maes gave me a look. "Which means his mind still works like he's a teenage guy and there's nothing he can do about it."

That poor kid. "You call him 'Uncle'?"

"He was older than me when I was born."

I nodded. "So, what's the big deal?" I asked. "I'm six years older than this kid. He can like me feeling his life-force all he wants. Not like anything'll come of it." I liked Maes being protective.

Maes sighed like I was just a little bit stupid. "Sometimes it's just unsettling in the moment."

"In the moment, eh?" I smiled. I liked Maes being jealous even more.

"Don't smile like that," said Maes. "It makes me want to kiss you. Save it until you're ready to fall in love with me."

I sucked my lip to keep the smile tame. Above all, I liked Maes being upset he didn't have me yet. At least until Uncle Ed was saved. Then Maes could have me all he wanted.


	36. Chapter 36: OVA King Mustang's Plight

Author's Note: So, I had a busy day watching my sibs, so I decided to write something I wouldn't have to think too hard about. Your ideas in an OVA! I fit a bunch of your suggestions into this one. I'm saving the spare ideas in my 'suggestion bank' if/when I need them later. Thanks for the inspiration! You guys had me chuckling. This OVA was super fun to write :)

Illovebooks: I feel like Ling's one of those guys who can pull off being a perve.

SavFFLover: Kind of funny that even Maes has the ability to feel threatened by other guys when it comes to his girl :)

mixmax300: I love how in L.E. when they sing, "We're going on a trip in our favourite rocket ship," it implies that they have more than one rocket ship so they just choose their favourite. Damn rich toddlers. haha :P

PhantomhiveHost: Poor Winry. No one ever tells her anything. I figure she's probably had to get really good at picking up on things without being told just to make it as an Elric. Poor baby, haha.

Harryswoman: No one ever makes a particular effort to get Winry involved with anything, but somehow she always ends up saving the day and bringing everyone back to their senses anyway.

verry-chan: Haha! I looked at my updates and I was like "Dang! I just got like a billion comments in an unnaturally short ammount of time. WTF?" That's so cool that you actually took the time to say something about a lot of the chapters as you caught up. :)

Hawkstang: Yeah, Maes and Nina are kind of legally adults, so they can do what they want. Winry's just awesome for keeping it from Ed while she can. I don't doubt he would've come after them with his cane, haha!

Lydia: Aw, thank you so much! I think that creative writing's main purpose is to force the reader to feel something through writing that they wouldn't have felt otherwise, so you telling me I capture emotions well is really great to hear :D

* * *

Chapter 36: OVA from suggestions—King Mustang's Glorious Plight

Ahem. Once upon an unspecified time in a hypothetical circumstance, the kind ruler of Amestris, King Mustang, hosted a 'Take Your Child to Work Day' on the day his beautiful young daughter, Princess Nina, planned to go on an unsupervised date with an untrustworthy peasant named Maes Elric. This decree was sent to all Command Centers in Amestris to promote legitimacy of the King's intentions and cloak the fact that he really just didn't want his beautiful daughter going out unsupervised with a young man from a foreign realm. Very foreign.

Princess Nina begged her father the King to reschedule the special day to a more agreeable date, but the King was adamant that it had to be that day. His people had already marked their calendars and he could not be such a tyrant as to make them change their plans just for the sake of his daughter's social life. The princess bitterly agreed that this was so. She canceled her day out with the peasant, Maes. King Mustang was content.

The 'Bring Your Child' day began as any other. The military brats, most of them at least ten years younger than the princess, saw their parents' offices. They listened to lectures on what it meant to be a soldier in a cold meeting room. They colored in coloring pages of puppies wearing blue uniforms and carrying Amestrian emblems. Princess Nina did all of this without complaint for the sake of her country.

Also, for the sake of the other children brought to work by their parents, forced into the same rituals, just trying to hold out until the tour of the cafeteria with chocolate cake and cookies waiting at the register, charged to their parents' accounts.

Then the time came, the final stop before the promise of the cafeteria and all its wonders. The time came for the children to be brought to stand before the throne of the king and to honor the valor of noble King Mustang with homage to his amazingness. And his uncanny ability to look sexy wearing overly formal suits in casual settings.

They entered the office—I mean, throne-room. They knelt and received their dubbing as future taxpayers of Amestris. But behold! The headcount was one head short. King Mustang reassessed the number of children within the walls of his personal domain and Princess Nina was not among them.

Pursuit of the King's lost daughter was instantly ensued, no matter what the cost. The good King immediately ordered that every child in the room be given a revolver to assist in the plight to rescue the young princess. Queen Riza put an end to this proclamation and sent the kids to the cafeteria with a sack full of tokens.

Roy scoured the fourth level of the Command Center—I mean, the fourth tower of his castle. His daughter was nowhere to be found. He prepared to send out an edict to bring to him every young woman in Amestris between the ages of seven and forty as to narrow his search. He retreated to his office to construct said document.

But when the King reentered his office, low and behold, 'twas his daughter the princess standing before him! Actually, 'twas his daughter the princess sitting on his desk and lip wrestling with the peasant, Maes, leaned over her.

The King donned his weapon of choice, the gloves of Flame Alchemy. Stepping within the walls of his tainted throne-room, King Mustang stood in all his glory and said in a voice so commanding, "Have at thee, player!"

The peasant Maes was raised to be a pacifist—though none can say why, given his lineage. He quickly saw that to defeat his opponent he would be forced to wound him. He refused to strike the father of his one true love, even if he was an overbearing pain in the ass.

"Sir, I cannot fight thee," said the noble peasant in surrender.

The King smiled and raised his ignition gloves to strike.

"My dearest love!" said the young princess to Maes. "You should pretty much run away."

The peasant gladly accepted his dear lady's suggestion and fled. The King stepped forth in eager pursuit, but sweet princess Nina came in front of him and cried, "Over my dead body, bitch!"

She raised her hands in battle stance, prepared to protect her Maes at any price. The king was torn, ravenous to avenge his daughter's violated lips, but hesitant to incinerate her in the process.

"Daughter, this task I must do alone," the King pleaded.

The princess replied with grace, "Does Mom know you accidentally took your back-pain medicine twice this morning."

Yes, 'twas possible the King was slightly high on old-people pills, but nonetheless, his daughter's virtue would be avenged!

"Step aside, dear daughter!" the King insisted.

"I'm getting Mom."

The king could not allow for his wife, the Queen, to be fetched. She was ignorant to the weight a king must bear on his shoulders for the good of his country. She would seek to end his punishment on Maes and the boy would run rampant, only to suck face with his daughter again later.

The princess moved to the closed door and the King was quick to act. He snapped his fingers, sending fire shooting into the hinges and knob, making the door stiff and welding the lock shut. The princess had no way out.

She snapped her fingers and burned the damn door down.

As Nina left to find the Queen, King Mustang knew that time was short. With newfound vigor, he flew from the building in search of the culprit who had kissed his little girl. He would not escape.

Unfortunately, the peasant had already boarded a train and departed for his realm, Resembool, by the time the King had tracked his whereabouts. The King hurried home in search of superior transportation. He found the Queen's lapdog, Hayate, hiding beneath the couch, for the dog could sense the King's presence when something ill was in store.

The King summoned his powers of alchemy and transmuted the little dog in a giant dog the size of an elephant. Hayate seemed content with his new size and in thanks gave King Mustang a ride to Resembool, swifter than any train in the land. Thus, he arrived at Maes's realm before Maes did. The great dog departed back to Central to surprise the world with his superiority and strength after years of being seen by others as cute and yippy. He would make his Queen proud.

The King, wise in battle with extensive experience in the art of warfare, staked out at Maes Elric's home, posting at the ideal location beside the lake. He awaited his target's arrival patiently, but within him his excitement mounted at the thought of burning the perpetrator to ash.

But, hark! As the time drew near for Maes to arrive, a great beast of the sea sprung up from the lake behind the brave king, lighting the evening sky with the sparkle of its respectable muscles. The king screamed like a little girl.

"King Mustang!" cried the merman. "Thy presence is most unexpected, sir."

"Dear God, Armstrong!" said the king. "Thy body hath become that of a fish!"

The merman sparkled with his celestial smile. "The art of secretly being a mermaid and living in the lakes of unsuspecting friends during vacation time has been passed down through the Armstrong family for generations!"

And thus, the merman said his farewells and dove back within the recesses of Resembool's lake. King Mustang wondered if he should get a blood-level done to make sure his back-pills hadn't overdosed him to dangerous levels.

But all of that was forgotten when Maes was seen coming into view, tall with hair glinting in the sunset. But, lo! The king's search was not over, for there stood before him not Maes Elric, but his father, Edward. The king secured his gloves as the former State Alchemist approached—I mean, knight. Sir Edward.

"Why are you on my lawn?" asked Sir Edward in disgust.

"Duke Armstrong of Bicepshire is a merman," sputtered the king. "He lives in your lake."

"Okay," sighed Sir Edward. "Come on, Colonel. Let's get you some coffee and some aspirin."

"I saw him! He was in there!"

"Jeez. I can imagine a million reasons why a guy like you would drink himself silly like this, but seriously. You turn up at my place? What the hell are you doing coming crying to me for?"

"I'm not drunk."

"I mean, don't you have someone more local you could turn to? A more convenient lawn you could pass out on?"

"Silence, fool!"

Sir Edward was not impressed. However, this mattered not to the King, for as Sir Edward continued to misunderstand the situation, the real Maes Elric came into view. King Mustang smiled in exuberance and pulled his gloves tight on his hands.

"Whoa, man," said Sir Edward. "No need to get sparky on me. Put the gloves away. I'll have Winry to get a pot going."

King Mustang did no such thing. "At last! I have finally found him; the man who stole the innocence from my daughter's royal lips."

Sir Edward was near to leaving the King to die in the grass when he saw what the King had set his sights on. Maes noticed King Mustang standing there and met his eyes, realizing immediately his imminent demise. Young Maes dropped his bags and ran. The King pursued.

Sir Edward kept pace with the King as Maes fought to keep ahead and out of reach.

"Why is my kid running from you?" asked Sir Edward as they went. "Why do you look like you're going to kill him?"

"Father!" Maes called. "The King hath issued a price on my head. I hath made out with the Princess. I find myself a dead-man."

"Dammit!" cried Sir Edward. "A pox on both your houses! What kind of idiot kisses a girl in front of her dad? If I caught some guy kissing your sister I'd kill him same as Mustang's going to kill you. I might just let him have this one, kiddo."

"He walked in on us!" cried Maes.

"They were within my throne-room!" argued the King.

"In his own space? Really, Maes?" The bold Sir Edward shook his head at the foolishness of the young. "I hope you get cursed with lots of daughters someday, kiddo. Just wait until they turn thirteen and then you'll realize what we were talking about."

Things were looking grim for poor Maes as his father and the King arranged their pact. With the veterans teaming against him, the peasant stood no chance at survival. His mind worked fast as he searched for any means to hide or to find a way to draw a transmutation circle without the King lighting him on fire first. But there was nothing. He could see over his shoulder that the King had his fingers ready to snap, his father backing off from interfering. It was over.

But then…

Maes stopped in his tracks to turn and look Sir Edward in the eyes. "I'll drink your milk for you until I'm thirty."

That was all Sir Edward needed to hear. It was his life's dream to be liberated from his one true weakness, the dreaded white water of death. Now his dear loving son would give him that liberation. All Sir Edward need do was stop the King from completing his sinister plans.

King Mustang saw his perfect opening. How could the King resist his perpetrator turned to face him so that his agonized expression would be in perfect view as he went down? He moved to snap his fingers at that wonderful look of terror in Maes's eyes.

But in the final moment, the terror in Maes vanished into a smile of victory. Soon the King discovered the reason for such a shift as this, for in that moment which the King should have been executing the move to kill his target, Sir Edward bolted between him and his target and caught the King in the kiss of disenchantment.

And thus, the King was awakened from his spell of irrationality and lack of self-restraint, immediately paralyzed and unable to follow through with murdering Maes. Sir Edward spat thrice upon the grass and then threw-up a couple of times, but in his heart, he knew the milk-free years his son had promised would be well worth the agony he had undergone. Sir Edward was later awarded seventeen medals for bravery.

The King returned home a changed man. He never gave his approval to his daughter's romantic endeavors, but he never tried to restrict her to the point of drawing blood again either. Some liked to say it was because he'd gained a clearer mind since rethinking his views on murdering the peasant, Maes. Really, he was probably just afraid of Fullmetal kissing him again.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.


	37. Chapter 37: Maes' Rhymes With 'Disobeys'

Author's Note: Quick personal moment between our main characters. They seem to have some good quality meaningful convo's when making use of public transportation.

verry-chan: My fic made you tempted to break your study regimen? I'm honored ;)

SavFFLover: Yeah, I'll admit I laughed at it as I wrote it. Lamest thing ever is to laugh at your own writing, but I couldn't help it. It wasn't like I came up with the material on my own. The little tidbit wrote itself :D

mixmax300: Even though Armstrong only surfaced for a brief moment, it was one of the funniest things in the story. Thank you for the inspiration, haha!

Harryswoman: It was TOTALLY worth writing. I had fun.

Queen of Narnia49: Haha! Aw, your comment made me smile. Thanks. I'm glad you liked it so much. It was a joy to write, a nice change of pace from the intensity of my center plot :)

PhantomhiveHost: Haha, I love how you listed all the stuff I'd managed to squeeze in. I actually had to make a list of the stuff I thought I could pull off fitting into one story, and I've still got plenty of material left for another edition should the need ever arise ;P

Illovebooks: Thy gratitude is appreciated, noble peasant. Thou need'st not worry. I sucketh at fairytale-talk as well.

Hawkstang: Haha! It actually kind of made my day to write it. I got good suggestions. I want to write another sometime!

otakgirlyy: Oh, totally! Your idea wrapped the whole thing up to perfection. I owe you :D

* * *

Chapter 37: 'Maes' Rhymes With 'Disobeys'

"He'll be waking up right about now," said Maes.

The train was shooting down the tracks with its really relaxing smooth pace like it was trying to rock us to sleep, but the adrenaline was too concentrated in us. Me and Maes just couldn't settle down.

"He'll watch my mom sleep for another half hour or so," said Maes. "Then she'll wake up and help him get dressed for the day."

The sun was coming up, so apparently we'd just pulled an all-nighter. I figured we were close to the Desert Rail Station and I could try to sleep on the train to Xing. It wasn't like I didn't enjoy staying up with Maes to all hours, but my nightmares got kind of dicey when I got sleep-deprived. I wasn't wild about the idea of waking up screaming with a train full of international tourists watching and junk.

Maes rambled on. "After she brings him his breakfast he'll spend fifteen minutes refusing to drink his milk. Then she'll tell him he can consider himself married to a nun until he drinks it and he'll drink it just like he always ends up doing in the first place."

I looked at my fingertips and wondered if I should break into Maes's suitcase and get the band-aids Aunt Winry had packed for me just in case I fell asleep out of nowhere.

"After that, around eight or eight-thirty, he'll get up and go to his study to make his morning call to my Uncle Alphonse in Xing to tell him he's still alive," said Maes with a sigh. "And finally, at around nine, he'll notice I haven't come downstairs to check on him yet. My mom will probably try to dodge all his questions, but Sophie will eventually mention that you weren't there when she woke up and my dad will put the pieces together very fast after that."

"Hey, Maes, can I grab my band-aids out of your mom's suitcase?"

In one ear and out the other.

"He's going to have a heart attack," said Maes. "After all we've done to keep him alive, he's going to die from a heart attack when he figures out we're gone. I know he will."

"I think I'll just grab them myself."

I grabbed the long black suitcase from under his seat and opened it up to rummage.

Maes kept yacking. "He's going to get angry at me. Do you know what happened the last time he got angry at me? He ended up saving me with his life-force. That's how we got into this mess in the first place. He got angry at me and now he's dying."

"Maes," I said, "what's your favorite color?"

"I mean, he's going to be furious. He'll kill my mom for letting us go. He'll know she helped us. He'll kill her for sure."

I pulled out some band-aids and counted out ten. "My favorite color's blue. Know why?"

"Sophie won't step in to save Mom's life. She'll be too busy doing her hair or something!"

"It's because I've got these gorgeous blue eyes and I didn't even know it until I was three and I looked in a mirror for the first time."

Maes leaned back in his seat and ran his hand over his face. "Oh, this is a disaster. I'm going to get back and they'll be dead. They're going to kill each other without me around to break them up. It's only a matter of time."

I put the band-aids nice and ready in my pocket. "I wonder what would happen if I dyed your hair blue while you were asleep. That'd be pretty hot. You're hair's kind of light, so the blue would really hold. You wouldn't be able to wash it out for anything."

"What was I thinking? They can't survive on their own!"

"Hey, are you listening? At all? Maes?"

"That's it. My family is doomed. I'm an orphan."

I sighed, a little peeved at being ignored. "Hey, I was thinking once we get to Xing I might get my hands on one of those exotic outfits with the midriff and the tassels and give the emperor a pedophilic lap-dance."

Maes snapped out of it pretty much instantly like I'd broken a curse on him or something. He grabbed my wrist and looked me dead in the eye. "Not. A. Chance."

I smiled. "Good, I got your attention." Undivided attention.

Maes let go of my wrist, a tiny bit embarrassed. "Sorry. I guess I got distracted."

I gave his shoulder a pat. "You're not too used to going against your parents, are you?"

"Never saw any need before now."

"Yeah, same." He looked at me. I shrugged. "I didn't really go against my parents either until I met you."

Maes smiled to himself. "Awesome."

"Guess it's the same thing with you," I said. "You went against your dad because of me, am I right?"

Maes mulled it over for a sec. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Nina."

"You're welcome?"

Maes laughed. "You've had so many new insights to saving my dad. I wouldn't have been able to come up with any of it on my own. I reject an idea the moment it starts if I think it'll upset my dad. You're great."

It was weird how helpful he seemed to think I was. I more or less felt like I wasn't contributing anything, and it would stay that way until whatever insights I had actually worked.

Maes looked out the window at the morning sun. "It's funny. I know everyone has problems and you'll never meet a person who's never been wrong, but I guess I've always seen my dad as the one person I could always depend on to do the right thing. When he started getting worse and the doctor said he didn't have as long as we'd counted on, I was terrified. It wasn't just the idea of losing him. I was terrified because if he died, I wouldn't have any way of knowing what the right thing was anymore."

"That's stupid," I said. "You decided to go to Xing with me, didn't you? You didn't need him to tell you it was the right thing to do. You decided for yourself. Maybe you don't need your dad's advice as much as you thought."

Maes smiled, but his eyes completely told me the smile did not match what he was feeling at all. "I guess that's what terrifies me more than anything."

I bit on my lip. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Hm?"

"You've got the hardest freaking life in history. Why don't you quit acting happy all the time and just go ahead and cry all over the place or something?"

Maes laughed kind of at me instead of with me. "Come on, Nina. I deal with plenty of pain without having to hear it sobbing out of my throat and feel it dripping down my face. All a person can do is fit in some good when they have the chance. At least give me that much."

I felt like the shallowest person in the world.

"You understand, right?" he said, kind of heart-to-heart. "You've had it rough. You still smile after you wake up from hell every morning. You understand why we can't cry every time."

He had a point. I felt not so shallow. "Hey, Maes?"

"Yeah, Nina?"

I dug in my pajama-shorts pocket and pulled out the ten band-aids. I took his hand and put the handful of band-aids into his palm, closing his cool fingers around them. I stared at his clenched hand and then took a look at my scarred finger-tips. "If I ever fall asleep without these on, could you maybe stick them on my fingers for me?"

Maes looked more or less honored. "Definitely!"

"Thanks," I said. I went through my purse for a sec and pulled out a handkerchief. I rolled it up perfectly for shoving in my mouth and muffling screams. I handed it to Maes. "This one too," I said. Maes hesitated this time. I forced the hanky into his hand. "I don't like hearing my pain coming out of my throat either."

He looked a little bummed, but he smiled nice and cooperative at me anyway. "Definitely."

I kind of realized that both me and Maes's crappy problems were a packaged deal when it came to us. I could kind of tell Maes had already realized what he'd gotten himself into with me a good while back—and he was altogether alright with it.


	38. Chapter 38: Killing Time at Desert Rail

Author's Note: Gah! I usually post every night before bed, but last night I pulled an all-nighter helping my sister with HW and now it's going on 11am! Shoot, I should try to take a nap or something. Anyway, sort of late compared to normal, but here's our next chapter :P

pitstop96: Haha! Talking about sacrificing your grade. Aw, I'm touched. Don't worry about me completing the story. I fully intend to finish this puppy nice and tidy :)

SaFLLover: Ha! You could totally turn that into a motivational quote or something. Put it in a calendar!

verry-chan: I think just the prospect of Nina dressing skimpy in the first place is plenty to get Maes's ears pricked.

mixmax300: Well, Xing was modeled after China, so I'm thinking (I lived in Asia when I was little) that summers are plenty hot enough for minimalistic attire. Maes is in for a field day.

Priya123: Heck, yeah! Ed's the bravest man alive for doing that on the fly. Or he just really hates milk...

DanniMaeAnime92: Ahahaha! It's so cool doing regular posts because then people start talking about how they shape their schedules around it and stuff. (I am way off schedule today)

PhantomhiveHost: Oo, you called him 'Maesy'! Ed's gonna hunt you down. :P

Hawkstang: I feel like Ling had some form of ADHD and it causes him to fiddle all the time. He's like a little flea. He never quits moving so his metabolism's really fast.

long live marshmallows: 'kind of busy clicking the next button,' that's too cute. Yeah, I try to update before I go to bed every night. I've kept up so far :)

Illovebooks: Nina could probably pull it off, too ;P

SakuraHarunaFan: I have a strong feeling he would ;D

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Chapter 37: Killing Time at Desert Rail Station

The Desert Rail was more or less a big line of tracks running straight across the Eastern Desert, back and forth between Amestris and Xing. Apparently, people used to have to cross the desert by camel or whatever back before the line was built, but then Xing and Amestris got real friendly and diplomatic a little before my dad became Fuhrer and they got this project going to make travel between the countries more convenient. Thus, the Desert Rail was born. And the Rail Station was badass!

"Holy dang! They've got funnel cakes!" I pointed my arm out to another of the stalls lining the food court. They had a freaking food court! "Oh, crap. Maes, they have steak pies."

Maes laughed. "Take your time. Our train's not scheduled for another hour and a half." He had his hand on my shoulder and he was steering me as we looked around so I wouldn't run into anything if I got excited and ran toward stuff without looking.

"Oh, my God!" I said, pointing like I'd spotted dry land. "They have noodles."

"Noodles?"

"Lots," I said, "of noodles."

Maes patted my back. "Good choice."

Choice? Who said I'd chosen?

I must've shown some panic in my face because Maes cracked up and said, "Get whatever you want, Nina. We've got time."

I pouted. "I want everything." Seriously, I'd been eating cornbread for two weeks straight. I wanted everything.

"Get everything," he said. He took his pocket-watch out of his coat by its chain and twirled it around his finger in cute little circles. "I'm buying."

"Pretty darn vintage," I said, inspecting the dull silver watch dangling from his hand. "Looks kind of like my dad's old State Alchemist ID. Where'd you find it?"

"It was my dad's," said Maes. "He retired before they started issuing the fancy new ones."

"Wait," I said, "that thing's legit? What are you still doing with it? Your dad should've turned it in when he left!"

Maes smiled. "My dad gets away with murder. I wouldn't worry."

"That's so illegal."

"It's not like I use it to get into nightclubs," Maes said with a laugh. "My dad had all his funds from the military saved in the State Alchemist Treasury and he didn't want to bother with finding a new bank after he left the service, so he just kept the account number and he makes withdrawals from home. Think of this watch as a credit card."

"You're not serious." I blinked. "Your dad retired, like, over twenty years ago. You telling me he still has money in his State Alchemist account?"

"Well, there was a lot built up over the years he was in service. Most of his activity as a soldier was personal, so it wasn't like he was spending heavily on projects. And the health insurance from his retirement covers all our medical expenses. The Veterans' Bureau won't stop sending him checks in the mail, so…"

"So, he hasn't even put a dent in his fund since leaving the military?"

"Guess not."

"How much?" I said, gesturing at the watch. "What's the balance on that thing?"

"I don't remember. Three-hundred?"

"Thousand?"

"No, more like million."

I gulped. "Hell, no. We're talking Three-hundred million cens? You could buy a small country with that kind of money!"

"Not really," said Maes, laughing like he thought we were actually talking serious and I was ignorant or something. "It does give my dad some peace of mind, though."

Right. In case Uncle Ed died. So, suddenly the 'rich' thing wasn't such a shocking deal. I kind of got it, with Sophie thinking about college in a year and Maes's health being so unpredictable. Uncle Ed had enough saved up to pretty much cover his family for the rest of their lives. Kind of morbid.

"Gosh, I should've fed you something before we left home," Maes said. "You're practically drooling."

I waved my hand at him. "What's the point of eating if you're not hungry in the first place? Don't worry. It's cool." I was pretty darn hungry, though. My stomach was so hollow it kind of felt like it was caving in on itself. I could have slapped myself for not taking seconds at dinner before bed. I skimmed the premises and chose a different menu every other stall. Then I stopped. "Maes! Maes, look!" I pointed like a total spaz. "They've got a deep-fryer!"

"What, you mean the frites stand?"

I looked at him. "I was pointing to the bubbling oil with the baskets."

He nodded. "That's frites."

Who the hell was Fritz?

"It's fried potato wedges," he said.

"Like fries?"

He nodded.

"Like what you get with a buttery steak at a restaurant?"

"Yes."

My eyes got wide. "They have a whole stand just for fries?"

"They're good fries."

"Holy crap." I looked up at him. He smiled. I squared my shoulders. "Alright. Forward march, soldier. I've got our target in my sights."

Maes laughed harder than my kidding around deserved. "Yes, sir."

I watched kind of fascinated when it was time for Maes to pay for our food, because he used his dad's old watch to do it. He said he usually just used cash around Amestris, but once he stepped into international travel with all the opposing currencies out there, it was just easier to flash the watch and write a check.

"That watch!" said some random dude with a lot of greys from a couple spaces behind us in line. "Your gold hair and red coat…"

Maes sighed and kept facing forward writing out the check.

"You're Edward Elric!" said the guy, stepping out of the line and drawing a little attention. "The Fullmetal Alchemist."

Maes passed the check to the lady at the register and she handed him a couple cones of fries. I looked around a little and people were staring at more than just Maes. See, he was wearing semi-normal pajamas with an ugly coat on top. I was in purple satin jammy-shorts with ratty expensive high heels. I felt kind of awesome standing next to Maes and making the both of us look like that weird eclectic couple that drank a lot of smoothies.

"Fullmetal?" said the guy, coming up to Maes. Now some other people were saying 'Fullmetal?' as well. "No, wait. You're not him. You're just a kid."

Maes handed me my cone of fries. So freaking warm in my hands.

"Sorry to disappoint," said Maes with a friendly smile. "I'm just a fan."

"Funny, you look just like him," said the guy. "I saw him in person, once."

"You don't say."

As me and Maes got out of the way of the frites stand, I could hear other people around chiming about Fullmetal, too. Some kid saying, "That guy's on your bathroom wall, Mommy," and then 'Mommy' shushing him up. A geezer with a whistle in his speech saying something about, "…And in those days, State Alchemists came from all walks of life, I tell you…"

I quit eavesdropping for a second and saw Maes had gotten himself caught up in a passionate conversation the original guy and a few other random Fullmetal fans who'd jumped in when I wasn't looking. I fiddled with my fries and spectated.

"Wait, seriously?" Maes said to a rosy-faced young lady. "He said that to her?"

"Yes," said the cutesy. "He was adamant."

"I never knew!" said Maes. He beckoned me over. "Nina, listen to this. This girl's mom manages a nationwide clothing manufacturer and she wanted to have my dad to design his own clothing line a long time ago."

"Why?" I asked, popping a hot fry in my mouth. "For people who dress tacky on purpose?" I chewed. "Oh, my God! It's burning my tongue but I can't spit it out. It's so freaking good!"

Maes laughed at me.

"He turned her down, though," said the girl, ignoring my ecstasy. "He thought it would be emasculating to have his own fashion line."

"But tell her what he said," Maes insisted.

The girl nodded, kind of acknowledging me a little. "Mother says that Fullmetal told her to take her 'pansy business to someone who can appreciate it, like Colonel Mustang.'"

Maes burst out laughing. I gulped hard on a fry to keep from choking and started cracking up myself.

"Wait, that's a quote?" I asked.

The girl nodded.

"That Fullmetal always did have a temper," said one of the other fans gathered; said it like he had a deeper personal connection to Fullmetal and the rest of us. Doofus was barely older than I was. It really wasn't too likely he'd actually met Uncle Ed.

"I can imagine," I said, giggling. I put on my best riled-up, 'Uncle Ed' voice, "What do I look like? A runway model? This ugly red trench-coat's way too good for your damn department stores!"

Maes tried to calm his laughter enough to step up for his impression on my dad, "Fullmetal sent you here, did he? Alright, then. I want ten-thousand 'Roy Mustang for Fuhrer' T-shirts delivered to my office by Friday. I want to see every man, woman, and child in Central with my face printed on their chest by the end of this week. The fate of Amestris depends on it!" Maes looked smug at me. "How'd I do?"

"Great," I said, breathless from cackling. "But you sound too enthusiastic. My dad's kind of the calculating type." I stuck another fry in my mouth and slurped it like a noodle.

The chit-chattering died down a little all the sudden, at least the chit-chattering around us. More like around me. I chewed on my fry and looked around at their kind of blank, kind of inquisitive faces. I looked up at Maes and I really didn't know what his expression was. He kind of looked amused, but at the same time sort of worried, like maybe he was okay but he was just waiting to figure out if I was in a mood.

"What?" I asked. I stuffed another fry in my mouth before I'd even half-swallowed the other. I rubbed my cheek with the back of my hand. "Did I get grease on my face or something?"

"Uhm, I don't see any," said Maes, peering at my face.

I could see the hushed crowd whispering a little and few more people in the food court starting to take interest and coming over. I swallowed my fry self-conciously and reached for another. Then I dropped it back in the cone.

"Oh, damn!" I said like a peep. I looked at Maes. "I called the Fuhrer 'Dad' again, didn't I?"

He nodded and I could kind of tell by the creases forming on his face that he was trying not to smile.

I shrugged. "Oops."

Maes decided to let himself chuckle. "Yeah."

"She's just a look-alike," I heard some woman whisper to some other woman. "The real Nina Mustang's flawless. I saw her in a parade that time in Central."

"I think it's her," said someone else all hushed.

"Maybe we should get her to sign an autograph."

"Why is she dressed like…that?"

"Are those scars?"

A camera flashed from somewhere.

I gobbled a handful of fries and talked like a pig with its chops full, "Want to get out of here, Fullmetal impersonator?"

"After you," said Maes. "How about over there by that fountain?"

I looked where he was pointing and it was a dang gorgeous fountain, even bigger than King Bradley's memorial where I'd asked Maes to kidnap me that one evening. I nodded my approval, still chewing. Maes put his hand on my shoulder again and steered me like a pram.

"Nice chatting," I said to the people watching as we left.

I finished my frites so fast once we got to that fountain I nearly suffocated myself eating them.

"No need to rush," said Maes, actually still savoring his food.

I licked the salty potato oil off my lips. "Food isn't as good when you eat it slow. I like to keep it coming, you know?"

Maes looked at his cone, still almost half full. "I guess I'm more of a slow eater. Like my mom."

"Yeah, your dad eats like lightning."

Maes laughed fondly. "Yep."

I stole one of his fries and slurped it before he could give me permission. "You're welcome," I said.

Maes looked at his cone kind of startled. Then he looked at me kind of confused. "Did you do that to test my love?"

"Uh…no?"

Maes laughed and held out the cone to me. "Take all you want. We can always get more."

I licked the fry-grease off my thumb. "Nope. I'm good. Just needed one."

"Yeah?"

"Tastes better when it's stolen."

Maes grinned at me pretty pleased like I was an accomplishment or something. "You remind me of my dad sometimes."

I looked at him to check how sincere he was being about this one. I got the sense that Maes didn't throw that comment around flippantly. I smiled kind of. "Thanks, Maes. That's sweet."

Maes said, "I meant it," with a smile, but his expression started to shift a little after that like something had crossed his mind. He looked forward at nothing really specific and his face kind of slackened a bit like he was thinking over stuff. I felt like it would be good to just let him think and maybe I'd hold off on stealing any more fries.

"Oh, look honey," a middle-aged woman with chunky thighs said, poking her balding hubby next to her. "Isn't that cute? It seems like forever since I've seen a good Fullmetal costume. Oh, he's adorable."

Maes was kind of still staring into space. I wasn't too sure how most guys felt about being called cute, but I doubted this lady had any clue if they hated it. She probably didn't have a clue we were even in earshot of her.

"Fullmetal my ass," grumped the man with her, pulling an ugly stink-eye on Maes. "What would kids want to dress up like that has-been slacker, anyway?"

Maes still stared blank, but I caught his jaw flex like he was grinding his teeth a bit.

"Oh, honey," said the woman kind of teasingly. "I think it's sweet."

"These stupid kids. They don't even know who their so-called heroes are." The man stuck his hand in his pocket. "Everyone goes for Fullmetal, all that youngest State Alchemist hogwash. What about the real heroes?"

I watched Maes tense, his hand clenching slightly around his cone.

"King Bradley dedicated his whole life to the welfare of Amestris," said the balding jerk. "He stayed in active duty until he got killed, as old me. Here this Fullmetal hero of everyone's up and quits the military soon as he's been in long enough to apply for healthcare."

I wondered if I should say something to Maes or maybe to the jerk trash-talking his dad. Maes was still looking pretty composed, but I caught the slight narrowing in his eyes, the tightness in his breathing.

The man folded his arms kind of condescending. "You never see a King Bradley enthusiast done up in costume like that."

"Oh, let him have his fun, Frank," said the woman. "I think it's nostalgic."

"Good God, Miriam," said Frank. "The kid's dressed up like the all-time weasel of Amestris and he doesn't even know it. All that son of a bitch ever did was take our tax dollars to mooch off our military's benefits. He wasn't even eighteen years old when he retired and he's probably been living somewhere on a tropical island drinking punch ever since, just laughing at us chumps who actually got a job and pulled our weight in society."

Maes stood. I kind of figured I should say something, but honestly I kind of wanted to see what would happen. The idea of that jerk getting told off by Maes didn't seem too bad.

Maes dropped the rest of his fries in the trash across from the fountain as he passed and kept walking toward where the middle-aged couple stood gossiping about him. I followed subtly behind. Maes was nearly expressionless except for the sharp determination in his eyes. He almost looked predatory.

Maes stopped in front of Frank by about two feet and he towered over him by half a foot, nice and intimidating. Frank looked up like a stubborn goat who didn't give a darn that the other animals were bigger.

"What do you want, kid?" he asked, spitting a little when he talked.

Maes smiled and it was terrifying how friendly he looked. "I couldn't help but overhear. You seem to have some opinions on the Fullmetal Alchemist that I'd like to clear up for you, if you don't mind."

"Aw," said Miriam.

"Psh, don't waste my time," said Frank. "I don't want to hear your idealistic rants. You children want to make that washed-up freeloader your icon, you go right ahead. With Mustang running the show, I'm not surprised your generation's been brainwashed out of your minds."

That's right. He really just said that, no joke.

Miriam looked a little embarrassed for her husband. "Frank."

I felt a little suspense in the air as Maes stood taller and his smile grew.

"Now there's your first problem," said Maes, eyes locked with Frank's. "What makes you so certain that Fuhrer Mustang is on Fullmetal's side anymore?"

"Conspiracy theorist?" asked Frank, completely adversarial and not looking for Maes to answer.

"Also," said Maes, "I think you might have the wrong idea on Fullmetal's participation while in the service."

"You going to educate me?"

Maes was talking friendly with his voice and words, but the way his mouth moved when he spoke, every syllable slightly tighter than the way it was with his usual smooth speech, I could tell he was not feeling all that friendly inside. "While Fullmetal may have retired sooner in his career than most State Alchemists tend to, his role in the welfare of Amestris was an asset for the time he did spend." Maes shrugged real cheerful. "Fullmetal did more for Amestris in four years then your King Bradley did in his entire lifetime."

I remembered this thing my mom used to tell me before we'd go to dinners with ambassadors and stuff; leave out anything about politics, no exceptions.

Frank looked like a stout bear ready to fight. "Leave the history lessons to those who were actually there, kid. Hate to break it to you, but Fullmetal was just a poster that tricked kids like you into thinking the army was fun-time. If anything, that little weasel did more harm than good joining up."

Maes laughed. "You think so?"

"I remember the newspapers and the radio broadcasts, smartass." Frank got in Maes's face. "All that hooligan ever did was cause more trouble than he was worth. Trust me, son. Amestris is better off with him out of mind. If that good-for-nothing ever did anything right, it was disappearing."

Oh, shoot.

Maes grinned like the devil, kind of crooked and fierce. Without any further ado, Maes grabbed Frank by the collar to hold him in place and swung his arm for a harsh punch in the face. Maes's hand smashed against Frank's cheek, right below his eye socket, promising for a good looking shiner later on. Maes followed through with the punch and Frank toppled back onto his fat butt from the force of the blow.

Miriam screamed a little. Frank looked rattled and his nose started bleeding at one side. People stopped and stared. I wanted to clap. Maes leered over Frank, standing like the tallest spruce in a forest. He wasn't smiling anymore.

Frank started to gripe a little and his wife looked like she would help him up, but then Maes knelt in front of Frank and met his eyes with a glare that actually made Frank freeze and shut up.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Frank," said Maes, soft. "It really would have been better if Fullmetal had never joined the military. It eats me up that he sacrificed himself for people like you. I truly wish he'd just taken your advice and let you rot."

I looked around us, noticed a few security personnel coming over to see what the fuss was about. I started thinking how awkward it would be to show Rail Security my 'Nina Mustang' ID when they flagged me in their books.

"Maes, let's go," I said, coming on over. I bent over him and grabbed his hand, tried pulling him to standing. "We should hit the restrooms before we board, am I right?"

Maes kept his eyes on Frank. Frank looked freaked. So did pretty much everyone else. Or just awkward. I heard some guy whisper, "He deserved it," and I could have kissed him for saying it out loud. I pulled on Maes some more. He held tighter to my hand and pulled himself up to his feet. He backed up a couple steps from Frank before turning around. He was still holding my hand. I set a quick pace as we made our exit. Those security guards were getting too close for comfort.

Maes weaved me through the crowds of travelers by the hand. He let go of me around the time we passed the vending machines and drinking fountains. We walked on until we got to this pretty little area with seats and fake plants beside the windows. Maes didn't sit, but he stopped. He stopped by a window and kind of just stood looking out of it like he'd walked all that way just to look through that window, like it had been what he'd come here to this station for.

Had to admit, he was looking a little pale, like a grey pale. It was the pale he usually got when he had something on his mind he was too stoic to mention. He was breathing a little angry, a little desperate. I sucked my lip and watched him, the way his eyes were darting when they looked out that window. His eyes were so clear now. It was like every curtain, every fog had been lifted, leaving his gaze completely exposed. I'd never seen him so vulnerable.

I stepped close to the window and peered with him. "So, it finally got to you," I said. "That you might never see him again."

Maes drew in a sharp breath. For a split moment, I wondered if I'd been too blunt. Maybe Maes would get angry like he'd gotten angry at Frank. I felt his hand clutch my shoulder and I braced myself.

Maes turned me to face him. Before I could do anything, he'd pulled me into a strong hug, weaving his arms around me tight. My heart skipped a little as he hunched his posture to nuzzle over my ear. He clung to me like a toddler clinging to his teddy. "Sorry," he said shakily into my hair. I could feel his body fighting a panicked shudder.

I slid my arms around him nice and gentle and gave him a squeeze. "Don't even worry about it," I said. "A girl can do worse than having a cute guy put his arms around her for a few minutes. Take your time."


	39. Chapter 39: Bumpy Ride or Whatever

Author's Note: So, who's ever seen the full version of Fullmetal Caramelldansen? Holy dang. I could watch that little vid all day. Just thought it was worth mentioning since it crossed my mind...

pitstop96: I know, right? That's actually the first time I think Nina's ever verbally acknowledged Maes's attractiveness to his face. Poor guy probably has self-esteem issues by now :P

SaFFLover: I love reading your comments. You always have something unique/meaningful to say. Thanks about my end lines. I get kind of stressed over whether I've ended at a good note for the chapter. And yes, it would just be weird if everyone in Central mistook Maes for Fullmetal but no one else in the world did :P

PhantomhiveHost: Make Ed drink milk?! For shame! He'd rather kiss Roy Mustang than drink his milk (until Maes turns thirty?) In my head a fair while back, I experimented with naming Roy and Riza's daughter Maesy (Maisy), but Maesy Mustang came out sounding like a fluffy pink horse in a children's tv program, so that name was quickly ditched. I also went back and forth naming Sophie 'Trisha,' but that seemed like a heck of a lot of characters being named after the deceased in one story, haha!

mixmax300: Oo! Korean Church? After service food? I had some friends in DC where I lived for a while who went to a Korean Church with food at the end. I wanted to go for the food, but I never got around to it. My current Church has...cut up pieces of donuts and bagels? And I'm gluten-free.

Harryswoman: I feel like Ed could make millions off his own clothing line if he started one this day and age. Style really has gotten that...experimental.

verry-chan: Yeah, I know a lot of people like that. Best thing to do is smile, nod, and then do the right thing anyway, haha.

Hawkstang: Well, the guy wasn't too old (mid sixties...ish?) I think anyone could have gotten away with socking that jerk at that point.

otakgirlyy: The question isn't really what does Maes know? but more What doesn't he know? His parents filled him in on everything. So yeah, he knows about Ed's mom. And yeah, Maes told Nina when he was telling her stuff her parents never told her. Hope that clears things up :)

* * *

Chapter 39: Bumpy Ride or Whatever

It was that white emptiness again, sitting naked in that empty white Gate all alone. I was sweating, too. The air was thick and hot like a sauna. I clenched my fists and told them not to make fire. My palms got hotter where my fingertips pressed.

"No fair," I said, kind of weak in the humidity. "Just want to wake up."

It was one of those times I knew I was dreaming. A lot of people were under the false impression that knowing made anything better at all. If anything it was worse since I knew full well what was coming and I just had to sit and wait to be burned alive.

The black hands kept creeping out of the white ground beneath me. They brushed against me, tickling and nipping at my scarred-up legs, but they were just toying with me for now, maggots slowly squirming into an open wound.

"You think you can cheat the Truth?" asked that cold piercing voice, echoing around me. Third time the damn Gatekeeper had asked.

"I told you," I said. "We're not cheating anything, just looking for possibilities. Chill, okay?"

I thought about curling up, but it was too hot to hug myself. The air was getting too hot to breath comfortably. The black hands would probably start eating me pretty soon.

I ran my hands through my hair, lifting it above my neck and shaking it out to try to cool off. It just fanned the hot air around. I dropped it and sucked on my lips like I was sucking a lollipop. One of the hands got a little bold and chomped my knee a little hard. I jerked away. I winced as a long drip of blood ran from the crater the hand had eaten away. I scooted back a little. My blood ran down over the perfect white, staining red splatters into the emptiness. "Ouch!"

"Nina!" said Maes. "What's wrong?"

I looked up. There he was. He was right there standing in front of me in the blank whiteness, wearing that red coat and black boots just like always. I felt myself sweating through cloth. I looked down at my body. I wasn't naked anymore. I was wearing my dress and tights and strappy heels from the morning we met. My knee was smooth, the red was gone, and the hands had disappeared into the ground. All that was left was Maes.

"Nina, what are you doing here alone for?" Maes asked.

"This is a dream," I said. I buried my forehead in my knees. "You can't be here."

I could see him sitting next to me out of the corner of my eye. "I don't know about that," he said. "Won't you get lonely on your own?"

I could feel his hand on my shoulder. His skin was cool, a rush of relief. I could almost get high on it. I leaned into him and let the coolness radiating from his body counter the sweltering coming from the air. "That feels nice."

His arm wrapped around me like an icy wet rag. "You have a fever."

"It's just this place," I said. "I'll wake up soon enough." I felt one of his cold hands run along my cheek. I smiled contentedly as he moved on to stroke my hot forehead. "Perfect."

He ran his fingers under my jaw and chin like a cube of ice. "Nina, you can love me if you want to."

"Hm?"

Maes ran his fingers down my warm lips. "This is a dream." I felt like I was eating ice cream. "You can love me if you want to."

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was smiling that way he smiled at me, like he really was happy to see me because I was me. I felt my face stretching to smile back at him. I usually didn't smile too much during nightmares on average.

"Why are you here?" I asked. "No one's ever come for me before."

"There's a first time for everything."

I reached my hand and felt his cool face with my palm, getting sweat on his cheek. "Well, thanks for making there a first time," I said. I bit my lip. "You want to kiss me?"

Maes laughed. "That a trick question?"

He leaned down, tilting his face to line up with my mouth just right. His lips were like sucking a popsicle, smooth and cold. He had the courtesy to put his hand behind my neck like a cool-pack. The air got hotter by the second like always, but Maes just got colder against me. I held him tight, feeling his icy breath exhaling out his nose and onto my face. I wondered if my breath felt really hot to him.

I reigned in on the kissing all the sudden. Maes's mouth wasn't feeling right. It was too malleable. Kissing him felt like I was crunching on something. It was almost like with every movement of our mouths his teeth were collapsing inward from his gums and shifting around freely in his mouth. I parted from him. Teeth dropped from lips onto our laps.

"Maes!"

He looked at me, wide eyed and scared like he wanted to talk, but all that came out of his mouth was more of his teeth. I got tall on my knees and held my hand under his chin all desperate, like catching the teeth and blood as it fell would make it stop. Maes choked on a breath, getting frantic. I rubbed his back with a trembling hand.

"Just a dream," I said. "I'll wake up. It's just a dream."

Maes had his eyes down on the carnage of his dead teeth scattered on our laps and in my hand and across the white ground. He choked again. He was on the point of hyperventilation. I was already there.

"Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a…" My voice tapered off in my throat and was replaced by panicked breathing. I dropped the teeth. They clacked on the ground when they hit like dice. "Just a…"

I held onto Maes, both of us shaking together as his hollow gums bled out of his mouth and down his face. He shook his head like he didn't want to be here anymore. I patted the back of his head in a weak attempt to comfort him, lacing my fingers through his golden hair and running my hand through like I was plowing a field on his head.

I jerked my hand away abruptly and a clump of gold hair came away with it. Hair loosened from Maes's scalp and fell from his head in patches. I picked it up as it fell like I could just paste it back on later if I gathered it. Maes held his hands on his balding head, trying to keep what remained from shedding with the rest. He was quaking so hard it was almost like he was crying. Or just gearing up to puke.

I licked my teeth, pulled my hair, but it was all secure as ever. "I need to wake up now," I said. "I want to wake up!"

Maes sobbed. I looked down and his fingernails were going black at the roots. I watched the first fall then he lost two more from the other hand. It wasn't a very supportive thing to do, but I screamed.

"No," I said, holding Maes as his body broke down into something not human. "No, no, no. Stop. Stop it!" Maes held onto me with his head on my shoulder like a frightened little kid, breathing fast and heavy. Suddenly the coolness in his body just made me want to warm him up. "Stop it! He has nothing to do with this!"

I winced. My knee was bleeding again, right where that hand had bit a hole out of it. I looked down at the white ground and hands were creeping up all around us. They pawed the ground, devouring Maes's teeth, his hair, and fingernails. They soaked his drips of blood like rags going across a countertop. They left nothing but perfect white behind.

"I want to wake up," I said. My voice came out with a falter in it. I could hear my own fear. Maes held tighter to me. I squeezed my arms around him. "I told you…I said I…I told you I couldn't fall in love with you. I told you. I did." Maes clung.

I cringed as the hands moved on from Maes's teeth and started grabbing me. They jerked the skin around my bones like a rug-burn. I cried out.

"Enough," I pleaded. "Just let me wake up!" I held Maes tighter as the hands ripped away little pieces of me like parasites eating something dead. "This is a dream. I'll wake up. This is a dream. This is a dream."

Maes flinched in my arms, gasping in pain. He pulled away and I could smell the cooked flesh on his back where my hands had burned him. I held my hands up like I was at gunpoint and watched the flames spread between my fingers and down my wrists. I shook my head with my teeth gritted to muffle my scream. Now it was my flesh I smelled.

Maes reached out to me and I didn't see him in time to tell him to stay the hell back. He touched my shoulder and that was all it took. The fire spread over my arms and blazed over his body. We screamed together as the flames roared over our bodies, swallowing us, consuming us, eating us. Thrashing, writhing, all the same things I did every night. But this time he was at my side doing it with me.

"Let him go!" I shrieked. "Let him…!"

I opened my eyes. I coughed on the rolled-up handkerchief wedged in my mouth and spit it out. Maes was leaned back in the seat next to me, snoring softly. I looked at my hands with the band-aids stuck on their fingertips. I grabbed Maes's hand and touched the smooth tops of his fingernails, firm in their cuticles.

Maes stirred a little as I tugged at his hair in a few places to feel the secureness in their roots. He opened his eyes to me forcing his lips open for a look at his teeth. I flicked a pearly incisor lightly with my finger. The tooth seemed pretty safe in its socket. I sat down easy and breathed.

Maes rubbed his jaw kind of looking invaded. He wrinkled his brow at me. "What was that for?"

"Just seemed necessary," I said softly, staring kind of numb at the seat in front of me. "This train smells like lemons."

I could see Maes looking at my fingers with the band-aids still stuck on, the wadded up hanky resting in my lap. I could see him putting the pieces together.

"Did you just wake up?" he asked.

"How much longer?"

Maes got out his watch. "We're not even halfway there. You can go back to sleep."

I shook my head, kind of flat. "Don't let me fall asleep again. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"That bad, huh?" He took my hand real gentle and began undoing the sticky band-aids from my fingers one by one. "Sorry."

I nodded. I let him peel my band-aids for me. It was pretty much sweet.

I looked at him. "Glad you're doing better."

"I think I just needed to get angry at somebody."

"That idiot made himself pretty easy to get angry at."

Maes scoffed. "No kidding." He wadded up the peeled-off band-aids and moved onto my other hand.

"You're an impressive person, Maes," I said. "You're not even in denial or putting on a brave face, are you? You really are okay."

He shrugged a shoulder, his face smiling gently as he undid the last of my band-aids. "Only because you're with me."

My hand twitched in his as he took the last band-aid off my thumb.

"I'm serious, Nina," he said. He met my eyes. "It wouldn't be the same if it had been anyone else. Not even Sophie. It had to be you." Maes looked out the window next to me. He smiled to himself. "To be honest, as much as I love and admire him, my dad doesn't stand a chance next to you when it comes to keeping me on my feet."

I felt a blush in my face. "You're really embarrassing me, you know that? What the hell have I got against your dad?" I'd probably regret asking.

Maes smiled. "I guess it's just harder to get discouraged around you."

That was really sweet.

Maes shrugged. "I won't bother listing what else you've got against my dad, Miss Nina." He raised his eyebrows teasingly and looked at me, all of me. "I imagine a lot of it just speaks for itself."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to pretend you didn't mean anything behind that."

Maes laughed. "You set yourself up for that one."

I felt a dull smile form light on my face. "Guess I did."

"There, you see that?" he said, nudging me light with his elbow. "I got a smile out of you. I get points for that."

I made my smile bigger for him. It was surprisingly easy for so soon after such a junky dream. I licked my teeth to make sure they were still firm just thinking about it. I wondered what he'd say if I told him he'd just made a special appearance in my tormented sleep.

"It's harder to stay stuck in my dreams around you," I said.

Maes furrowed his brow.

I smiled pretty natural. "You said something you only get with me. I said something I only get with you. Equivalent exchange, am I right?"

Maes looked pretty much like I'd bestowed some great gift on him. "I distract you?"

"Not even," I said. "But tell me the secret if you find a way to even do that. That's what my parents always tried on me. The time after waking up is hard. It usually leaves me panicked like nothing else. I guess you just do a pretty good job helping me get comfortable in my own skin again. You're such a peaceful person, it doesn't take me long to start feeling safe again."

Maes chuckled. "You're the one who helps me stay 'peaceful' in the first place."

"Dang! Equivalent exchange?"

"Symbiotic relationship, maybe?" said Maes. "Vicious circle?"

"Oo! I like being called 'vicious'!"

Maes laughed, grinning like I was funny in more ways than one. He sat back and sighed, his eyes looking out my window. "It's true what you said back at the station. I left my dad knowing I might never see him again. But I already thought it over. If he dies while I'm gone, you'll be with me when I get the news."

"That's right."

"I think I'll be alright if you stay with me that first day or so." He looked at me. "If you're alright with that."

He really had thought about it a lot.

"Of course I'm alright with it," I said. "I'd get my feelings hurt if you sent me away."

Maes kind of smiled. "Just making sure." He looked out the window again at all the desert sand we'd been going over for a jillion hours. "You've got it wrong, Nina. You think I'm going to resent you if my dad doesn't make it? Dummy. You're the first person I've known who made me feel like I might be able to keep going if I lost him."

I sucked my lips. I looked at Maes and thought about being an impulsive idiot and kissing him for being him. I bit my lip, remembering what it had felt like in the nightmare to break his teeth out of his smile as we'd kissed. Free moving teeth crunching under my lips. I shivered and just settled for resting my temple against his arm.

"Careful," I said. "Keep talking like that and I might just start falling in love with you."

"Start?" Maes said. "Interesting word choice."

Yeah, no joke. 'Start' implied that I'd actually stopped at some point.


	40. Chapter 40: Poem-CAN'T DESCRIBE

Author's Note: I went to my summer writing group with my friends from college tonight! It was a blast (as always). But it lasted a couple hours longer than we'd intended...oops. So, I didn't write anything legit for tonight. It's kind of sloppy, but you'll just have to suffice with this little poem that some of your comments inspired me to write. Enjoy!

BTW, I don't have time to respond to all your comments individually tonight (duh), but I'm glad to have some new folks with good stuff to say, and also all my regular folks with the usual good stuff to say. You guys make me laugh. And I'm sorry about the gruesome nature of Nina's dreams for those who had issues. I can put warnings from now on :P Apparently some people had trouble eating afterward (I admit that I did laugh pretty hard about that, though.)

* * *

Chapter 40: If Edward Had Had a Daughter Willing to Design his Fashion Line For Him—in Poem

There once was a girl named Maesy

who was born an Elric, alchemist by trade.

But her transmutations drove Winry crazy.

Tacky coats was all Maesy made.

Maesy's coats were sweet, but all that aside,

Winry groaned at her young daughter's work.

Out of home Edward beamed with pride,

as he wore Maesy's creations with a smirk.

"Pretty damn sharp," he'd say, so excited.

"Pretty embarrassing," Winry would whine.

In her teens Maesy was invited

to design Ed's own fashion line.

Edward said the offer was fantastic.

He wouldn't stoop to 'seamstress', but Maesy was allowed.

Father and daughter together became spastic.

Ed said, "On to Central! Make me proud."

Winry grimaced. She didn't want to be mean,

But her daughter dressed like Ed, to her regret.

She was afraid to see Maesy's work in magazines.

Afraid of the remarks it would get.

Mostly Winry feared Maesy would see fit

to further pursue tacky red, silver studs, and spandex.

Edward would say, "Don't listen to Mom. She doesn't get it."

Maesy discovered rhinestones and Winry feared what would come next.

Then came one day some many years later;

Maesy walked through Central in her purple velvet skirt.

And said the smooth voice of a hot, blue-eyed fashion-hater,

"That purple junk's almost as tacky as your shirt."

Maesy faced Roy Junior, grinning kind of smug,

and displayed her metal-plated sleeves with pride.

"It's my favorite," she said, giving her velvet a tug.

"When I said 'almost'," answered Roy Jr., "I lied."

"But you're still pretty much beautiful in it," said Roy Jr. "Really doesn't make sense."

"Your skin's so white your dark circles make your eyes look bruised!" said Maesy.

Roy Jr. sucked on his lip, flattered. He took no offense.

He laughed and offered Maesy his arm, "You know, you're pretty much crazy."

The two skipped away to get muffins.

Poor Winry would just have to cope.

For Roy Jr. accepted Maesy without question.

Even if Maesy dressed like a dope.


	41. Chapter 41: Right Into Xing

Author's Note: A few names my sister has mistakenly called Lan Fan... "What's her name? It's at the tip of my tongue. Palm Frond? Wonton?" or, "You know that girl, Pad Tai?"

Ed's style has a special place in my heart. My little brother's colorblind, so I have a special appreciation for people who pick out 'interesting' combinations of clothing :D

SavFFLover: Yeah, I came up with those names all by myself. I'm a smart cookie, really creative with that sort of thing ;P

mixmax300: One of my friends from my summer writing group wanted me to write horror genre last week since I usually do mainstream. My mom couldn't read it all the way through. She got dizzy, poor sensitive little thing :(

pitstop96: Yeah, I'd post real chapters every time if I could, but I have this goal to do daily posts, so it doesn't always pan out :( And YES! I love Ed's style. It's really not that big a deal. Just going off some of the reactions of characters from the series here and there plus some misc he transmuted in different scenes.

Hawkstang: Oh my gawsh! That sounds epic to write. "Roy Mustang: Survives Ishvalan War, Homunculi, Portal, Promised Day...Dies of Heart-attack while instructing daughter in defensive driving."

PhantomhiveHost: Gender bender! Haven't heard that term in forever. Haha, kind of a weak attempt at a gender-bender, but I guess it was *sigh*

long live marshmallows: Oh, naw. Ed's usual style isn't that tacky (I mean, it is when he goes full 'Ed' on something, but that's different). I just like giving it a hard time. I dress pretty eclectic myself half the time. It works :)

verry-chan: I don't think I came even CLOSE to doing a full reverse justice. I wish I'd had more mind-power to write it out better at the time. Oh well. It was still fun :D

* * *

Chapter 41: Right Into Xing

We were on that God-awful rail line for three freaking days! We transferred five times, one of which had so little seating left, I got stuck sitting next to a fat guy who took up more than his fair share of the seat. A chesty blonde babe made room for Maes. I had to sit through watching that for six hours with Mister Plump snoring next to me like a dying duck.

So now we were on our final train. At least, Maes promised this was the final train. I told him I'd believe it when I saw it. My butt was getting sore from sleeping on the hard seats all the time and I was sick of brushing my teeth with the overpriced disposable tooth brushes we'd picked up at pit-stops.

"I want a shower," I moaned. "I've never gone a day without a shower. Now look at me. I've been wearing your little sister's sexy PJs for three days straight and my legs are getting prickly."

"But you're so filthy and unkempt," said Maes, like he loved the fact that my hair was starting to smell like coal. "You look wild."

"I feel gross."

Maes looked out the window at the same old passing desert. He rubbed his jaw with his thumb. I could hear the stubble scratch. "I guess I could use a razor myself."

"You should totally grow a full beard!" I said. "Like some kind of golden lumberjack. Oh, that'd be glorious!"

Maes looked at me with a brow-raised smile, more or less amused but maybe a little condescending.

I frowned. "What? It's a good idea."

"No, it's nothing," said Maes with a laugh. "You just have a unique perspective on what's attractive, that's all."

I snorted. "You're kidding, right?"

He looked at me sort of blank and confused. "I didn't mean that in a negative way."

Yeah, he was oblivious. "Never mind," I said. "Carry on, soldier."

Maes glanced out the window and smiled crooked. He looked at me. "Target spotted, Sir."

I swatted his shoulder in a teasing kind of way. "Get out! We're here?"

"Well, we've been traveling across the desert for three days, Nina."

"Yeah, duh," I said, peering out my window with both my eyes wide as anything. "I was starting to wonder if we were maybe just going in circles, you get me? Oh, jeez! I see it!"

"The border comes into plain view pretty soon once the rail makes it past the last incline."

We'd been going through barren sand and junk for three days. Ahead of me now I saw barren sand and junk mixing into something more gravely then shifting into some kind of chalky baked dirt with dried-up grass and foliage shooting up sparse through the cracks in the ground. In the distance, a really expansive border-wall separated the rocks and cracked dirt of the Eastern Desert from the rocks and cracked dirt of Xing.

"Holy dang!" I said excitedly. I pointed out the window. "This is the most anticlimactic moment of my life. It's ugly as hell! Xing is going to be so much fun!"

Maes tightened his mouth into a pursed line to keep from laughing and patted my back with a finger to his lips.

"What?" I said.

He shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "People around here are…well, they like their country. It'll get a lot prettier once we get further from the desert. You'll see."

I took a glance at the passengers within earshot of my recent outburst. They were looking at me like I'd just insulted their kindergartener's dance routine in the talent show. I gulped. "I meant it in an endearing kind of way," I said. "You get me?"

Maes shrugged. "Sure, but they don't know you as well as I do."

"Oops."

I watched the sand slowly turn to dirt as we passed it. I leaned my chin on my hand. I hadn't been as sensitive around Maes lately. A couple weeks ago, that simple comment on him 'knowing me well' would've had me blushing for sure. Now I didn't even bite my lip over stuff like that.

As we approached the end of the line, Maes and I spoke low to each other about the issue over my ID. For one, my passport was questionable. See, it was actually just a really old one my parents had made for me when my dad first became Fuhrer. Back then they actually talked for a while about taking me along on business trips or something. Anyway, that never happened, but I still had my 'just in case' passport. Thing was, the picture was from when I was seven. Probably expired. Definitely different from how I looked now, especially after giving myself a home-cut about two weeks back and not having a shower for three days running.

We talked about Maes transmuting the thing to make it easier to pass off as me. We even thought about changing the name on it so they wouldn't know I was the Fuhrer's kid. In the end, though, we decided to take our chances. Getting caught with an expired passport was one thing. Getting caught with a fake passport could mean prison.

Maes and I came off the train together kind of a mess. His jacket was wrinkled from sleeping in it too many times and his hair at the back was suffering from some serious bedhead. My hair was pretty much indescribable, like stringy black thread tangled in little knots. Plus, I'd been wriggling in my sleep for three days and Sophie's already loose jammies were starting to stretch out. I could cinch up the shorts pretty good with the drawstring, but the shirt kept sliding so low on my stark cleavage that it put a whole new meaning to the term 'revealing'. I was looking forward to getting some real clothes once Maes and I settled in.

Maes took me to a line with a sign at the end in a billion different languages. I could read, 'Passport Check,' from where we stood. I sucked my lip.

"Don't worry," said Maes. "We'll figure it out. If worse comes to worst, I'll find a payphone and call someone to vouch for us."

"Someone?"

"Well," said Maes, "whoever's available. It is getting closer to dinner. But don't worry about it. The Elrics have plenty of friends in Xing who can throw their weight around a little.

"Like the Emperor?" I said kind of silly.

"Yeah, but Uncle Ling stays pretty busy. I'd only call him if there wasn't anyone else."

I hadn't actually been completely serious. So, apparently the emperor of Xing took personal calls about travel issues from Maes Elric via payphone while, when he received calls from the Fuhrer's office over stuff like life and death and threats to nations, he put the Fuhrer on hold for twenty minutes. I'd seen poor Daddy put up with it a hundred times.

"Nina, we're up," said Maes.

I stepped up to one of the tables with him, the one with no one at it yet. There was a nervous looking guy sitting there, just a kid, pretty much. He couldn't have been any older than Sophie. He was so jumpy in his seat, eyes darting around under his big round glasses, that it wouldn't have surprised me if this was his first day at a summer job or something.

"How the hell did a newb land a job like this?" I asked, handing over my passport. "Security's a risky business. What kind of idiot hires a kid to check passports? No offense."

The kid adjusted his glasses on his face kind of nervous and flipped through my passport right quick. He stopped at the picture. He looked at my lovely second grade portrait-shot and kept looking back and forth between me and the picture. I caught Maes looking a little wary. The nervous little passport checker closed my passport and set it to the side instead of giving it back to me. Maes gave a disappointed look that made me think that that wasn't supposed to happen.

Maes handed the checker his passport and the checker flipped through it in silence like he'd done with mine. He stopped at the picture, looked at Maes then the picture again, and then gave Maes back his passport along with a slip of paper with room for Maes to sign his name.

"And my friend?" Maes asked, nodding to me.

The little checker guy was silent, just looking nervous. I kind of wanted to smack him, maybe snap him out of it. Or maybe he just hated Amestrians and was giving us the silent treatment?

Maes met the guy's eyes and sighed. He gave a smile and said something brief that sounded like another language. The nervous guy perked up like a wilted flower. He answered in the same gibberish Maes had spoken and picked my passport back up. He looked back and forth between me and the picture a couple times and said something to Maes. Maes reached over and pushed my bangs away from my forehead for him. The checker smiled and nodded and handed me my passport back with the slip.

Maes and I signed our forms and went on through.

"You speak the language?" I said as we walked.

"Mostly just tourist phrases," said Maes. "There are a lot of dialects. It'd be hard to get fluent in any of them."

"I hear you," I said with a sulk. "I took three years of high school sign language and that was it for me."

"You speak sign language?" Maes exclaimed.

"I forgot pretty much all of it," I said, "like, a month after the class finished. I seriously don't retain languages."

Maes chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about it. Most people around here are multilingual. They'll understand you."

"Hope so," I said. "It'd be kind of a bust if I ended up needing an interpreter just to go to a public restroom while I was here."

"I'd like to see you try to communicate that one on your own," said Maes with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah."

There was this area where there were a lot of people coming out from Passport Security and being met by loved ones or chauffeurs or whatever. It was kind of adorable seeing kid running out to hug their grandparents or the occasional young guy dropping his suitcases and publically displaying his affections with the pretty girl who'd been waiting for him on the other side. Then there were the clusters of people holding signs, mostly dudes in suits come to pick up businessmen or something, but a few just families who'd made banners.

"Aw," I said. "We should've called ahead. One of your friends could have made us a nifty banner with our names real big together."

Maes stopped before getting all the way to the end. He just stopped. Kids were running by, pouncing on their relatives. Couples were embracing each other. Businessmen were stepping past all antisocial and meeting with their arranged rides. Maes just stood.

"Maes?" I said. I leaned closer to look him in the eye. "Maes?"

He pointed forward toward the crowd of people on the other side of the line waiting to meet up with people coming out.

"What?" I said.

Maes pointed harder. "There."

I tried to look where he was pointing, but it was a little hard. There were a lot of people and they were all shuffling and shoving around each other. Then I caught it, some classic stuff. Gold hair, gold eyes. Kind of unique, and there was a guy in the crowd with both. He was maybe almost to forty like Uncle Ed, but he didn't look much identical to Uncle Ed or Maes. He was tall and all, but his facial structure was a little different, a little less sharp. His eyes were softer and his smile was a little gentler. He was holding a sign that read, "Self-sacrificing dumbass and Mustang's meddling kid"

"My uncle," said Maes with a smile. "That's my Uncle Al."


	42. Chapter 42: Uncle Al Takes Sides

Author's Note: BUSY weekend-**equals**-short CHAPTERS. Sorry. Life's hard. ...Very little time spent polishing replies, they're sloppy as heck.

Takara Rosa Oizumi: haha! just reading your comment about my writing made me laugh at my writing all over again.

'Guest': the smartest people know absolutely nothing about themselves :P

mixmax300: lumberjax are sexy as hell! ants? you are VERY brave.

Harryswoman: i feel like alphonse is secretly even sassy-er than ed deep down somewhere.

Featherstone180: next time i go to pick someone up from an airport/train/boat/whatever, i am bringing that sign!

PhantomhiveHost: no way! i totally thought of scooby doo after i wrote it. and then i thought of the fmab bloopers with envy's voice actress. ha!

RoseBlossomWarrior: haha! that's funny, cuz your avatar is a pic of older alphonse and so i feel like you have a spidey sense for him. but it's an armor-boy sense...

verry-chan: i know, it was so hard writing the 'no shower' thing, because i usually start feeling things for the characters without meaning to so i end up writing them like i'm really feeling them. three days w/o shower did not feel pleasant to write.

pitstop96: i feel like a beard would engulf maes's face and all we'd see were two beady golden eyes staring out of a mass of gold. like a mane.

Hawkstang: i need my morning shower. i don't like to think about skipping showers and smelling like who knows what. *shudder* poor poor nina.

Kimbblesrath: haha. i hope you get to this one soon. i gotta give you credit for persevering. i can write pretty easy, but reading is HARD to focus with. i read slow. slow.

* * *

Chapter 42: Uncle Al Takes Sides

"Self-sacrificing dumbass and Mustang's meddling kid?" Maes said, stepping up to his uncle. "I'm afraid to ask."

"Your dad called me three days ago," said Uncle Al. "He referred to the two of you by multiple names, so I just chose the mildest two."

Mildest two, huh? I smiled to myself. I stood by and watched, pretty much a spectator for now. I hadn't even begun to get a feel for the current situation.

Maes looked a teensy bit uncomfortable. "I figured he'd call. Did he tell you to send me back home?"

"Yes," said Uncle Al.

Maes nodded, his gaze veering off to the side. "And…what did you say?"

"I told him I'd do what I could."

Maes met his uncle's eyes, clearly feeling out the situation himself. "You know I won't go home."

"Of course not," said Uncle Al. "I won't let you leave until you've found a way to save my big brother." He smiled a little cheeky.

Maes smiled too, kind of easy, his shoulders relaxing as he sighed a breath of relief. "You had me worried for a second there, Uncle Al."

"Don't tell anyone I let you off so easily," said Uncle Al. "If your dad catches on that I encouraged this…"

Maes looked a little sincere. "I don't think that's going to happen. Not with this. You're the last person he'd expect not to take his side on…"

I butted in. "So, I'm assuming we're good? I'm Nina, Mustang's meddling kid. Nice to meet you, Uncle Al."

He shook my hand like a man and smiled. "My brother said a couple weeks ago that you helped Maes with his lungs."

Oh. That again. "Yeah."

Uncle Al smiled bigger. He clapped his hand over Maes's shoulder and jiggled him back and forth lightly like he was showing him off. "Look at him. You put color back in his face."

I got the feeling that Uncle Al hadn't seen color in Maes's face too often in his time. I looked up at Maes. Maes was looking at Uncle Al almost apologetic, like maybe he was sorry for not having color in his face sooner.

"It's good to see you back on your feet, Maes," said Uncle Al.

His gentle gold eyes were shiny like he could've cried if he wanted. I remembered having to watch Maes go through all his automail problems with the maintenance and the storm sickness and then hearing about how sick he'd been as a kid. I'd only had to deal with it for a few days and it had still been heart-wrenching. Poor Uncle Al had probably been watching Maes suffer since Maes was born. From Maes's descriptions, Uncle Al seemed the kind of person who would've been pretty sensitive about something like that.

"Last time I saw my nephew was in March when I came on my own for a week."

"Don't remind me," said Maes, kind of serious a little bit.

Uncle Al continued. "He had just been through a hard tune-up a few days before I got there and he couldn't even get out of bed to go to the bathroom without help the entire week I was there."

"You make it sound really pathetic," said Maes. "I was fine. Just sore."

"Then you were excruciatingly sore," said Uncle Al. He looked at me. "Thank you for helping my nephew."

I nodded. "I actually did it on accident. But you are very welcome."

Maes let out a laugh. Uncle Al looked kind of like he didn't know what to say.

"So," I said, looking past the goofy banner to get a full view of Uncle Al, "you're telling me you were made of armor way back when?"

Uncle Al blinked.

"I told her everything," said Maes. "She even knows about my automail. Come on. She's one of us now."

I felt myself grinning at that; 'one of us.'

"Alright," said Uncle Al. He turned to me. "Yes. I was a suit of armor for five very long years."

"Empty years," said Maes, looking smug as he said it.

"Oo!" I said. "Pun?"

"Ha," said Uncle Al flatly, "I haven't heard that one in a while."

"Damn," I said, laughing to myself. "You got your body back when you were fifteen, am I right? Talk about in the nick of time! If you'd gotten much older, you'd have had to tell your true love that you were a hollow suit of armor after the third date. Then, after that blew over, you two would have to wait until you got your body back before the two of you could—"

Uncle Al interrupted quick. "This is really Mustang's daughter?"

Maes shrugged. "She's adopted."

"Just saying," I said. I mean, everyone was thinking it.

"So, how are your girls?" asked Maes.

Uncle Al looked around at the crowded area getting more and more crowded. He turned to Maes and smiled. "I'll tell you all about them while we wait for a cab."


	43. Chapter 43: Chit Chat

Author's Note: Just had Thai food two nights in a row. 1st time was for my sister's graduation meal at a restaurant. Tonight I made it myself. It took ALL day. I am beat.

Illovebooks: Who can resist a good Alphonse scene?

SavFFLover: Haha! I thought that the 'guest' was sounding familiar in the comment!

mixmax300: There's no getting around it. The whole point of FMA(B) is the desperate fight to someday make it possible for Al to have sex.

DanniMaeAnime92: Of all the characters in FMA(B), Alphonse would probably be those most natural at having daughters. I guarantee it.

Harryswoman: Cute little Alphonse, talking himself up while he was still a suit of armor. Lucky Mei. Al could have been totally lying about being handsome all that time and then he'd come out of the Gate with warts or something.

KTrevo: Why, thanks about my OVA. I loved writing it. Aw, that analogy you made about Ed dying and your door-less room really does sound sad and empty :

RoseBlossomWarrior: Alphonse will breathe easier participating in my fic know that you will be on the sidelines to support him.

Kimbblesrath: Hahahaha! Glad you're catching up.

PhantomhiveHost: Poor Alphonse is adorable and he doesn't even realize he's doing it :S

Hawkstang: Ha! Good point! ...gross.

verry-chan: Sometimes acting like a Nina can get me into trouble :P

pitstop96: Yes, Al 'procreated,' hahaha! I think Nina may be one of the funnest characters I've ever narrated for :D

* * *

Chapter 43: Chit Chat

So, apparently Uncle Alphonse was married to one of the many princesses of Xing and they'd been living in her hometown, the 'Chang' district, since they got married five years after Sophie was born. They'd been involved with their do-gooding for a while, so they waited to get pregnant until, like, six years ago, similar ages to my parents when they'd gotten me.

However, Aunt Mei had actually had triplets in the end, all girls—Ming, Jun, and Trisha. As late a start as Uncle Al and Aunt Mei had gotten compared to Uncle Ed and Aunt Winry, Maes basically told me that his uncle had outdone his dad as 'Father of the Year' in one night. Two to zero turned to two to three. Go figure.

Seriously, with Uncle Al being the lone guy in a house full of four girls, I kind of had to give him credit. Given Uncle Ed's trouble with Sophie, Uncle Al pretty much had him beat on this front.

We walked toward the side of the street where everyone was all over the place hailing cabs. Figured we'd get in line. We stood pretty far away in this tiny shady yard area.

"Wait, Xiao Mei's way too old to still be doing that," said Maes.

Uncle Al sighed. "Yeah, well, Ming and Trisha haven't realized that yet. Anyway, when Mei says it's alright, I tend to play it safe and stay out of it."

Apparently a couple of the cousins had been sneaking the family pet into the coy pond in the neighbor's yard and watching her try to outswim the fish lately. Apparently this 'family pet' was kind of temperamental, pretty darn old, and very much non-aquatic.

"What about Jun?" asked Maes. "I thought if any of the girls would enjoy irritating Xiao-Mei it would be her."

Uncle Al's smile got a little less bright. "She's been working on her alchehestry a lot more than usual lately."

"Really? That's awesome! Aunt Mei always complains over how apathetic the girls have been about alchemy. I mean, Jun especially. What sparked her interest? Did she just finally give it a chance?"

"She had a little motivation," said Uncle Al.

"Yeah?"

"Those pictures your mom sent us last spring in the mail."

Maes's brow furrowed. "Our family photos? What about them?"

"Brother didn't look right," said Uncle Al, "and she noticed this time."

"Oh," said Maes. He was completely not excited anymore, just disappointed.

Uncle Al looked at Maes pretty somber. "It changes gradually for you, Maes, but it's different for us. We only see him every few months. His decline is more drastic for me and Mei and the girls. Jun noticed he'd been looking sicker every time we'd get a new photo, so she asked Mei to teach her how to make her Uncle Edward better. It's unlikely she'll ever be able to do anything significant for him, but you know Jun. She's an Elric. She doesn't know how to sit still for long."

I watched Maes smile kind of dry and shift his gaze to me with an edge. "You hear that, Nina? Sounds like we worried for nothing." He turned his face up at the sky and laughed bitterly. "Baby Jun's got it covered." Maes put his hands in his pockets and let the smile slowly break from his face.

Uncle Al looked confused and kind of hurt. "Maes…?"

Maes blinked slow at the clouds. The weather was warm, kind of cozy. Sophie's thin PJs were actually the perfect weight for the heat.

"I'm sorry," said Maes. His eyes stayed on the sky. "I've been a little off lately. Ask Nina. We've only been traveling together for a little over two weeks and even she can tell I'm not myself."

Uncle Al looked like he felt bad. "Maes…"

"Don't listen to him, Uncle Al," I said, shaking my head at the sun. "He's completely himself. Just, some parts of him are under a magnifying glass right now and then others might be out the wrong end of a pair of binoculars, you get me?"

I took my eyes off the sky. Uncle Al and, more significantly, Maes, were both staring at me like I was riding a humpback whale in a fishing pond. I sucked my lip and looked at my front. "What, did Sophie's shirt slip down again?"

Uncle Al chuckled. "I can see why you like her, Maes. She can read you just like your dad can."

Maes kept his eyes met with mine when he spoke. "No, she's got her own way."

Maes gave me a kind of grateful smile and I smiled back like I kind of didn't fully know why he was so damn grateful.

I could see Uncle Al's eyes staring back and forth between us all the sudden, the gears in his head going around, putting it together. I felt the flush coming on and bit my lip to keep it from surfacing on my cheeks. He was an Elric, right? That meant he was smart enough to figure out Maes and I hadn't exactly stopped at the 'potentially' part of the 'potentially more than just friends' equation.

I looked out at the street with all the cars and people and junk. "The side of the street's cleared up a little over there. I'm grabbing us a cab."

"No, Nina," said Maes, putting his arm in front of me before I could rush off. "People at this station are really aggressive about getting cabs. It's the main station in Xing. Just wait for it to thin out."

"How long's that going to take?"

"Shouldn't be any more than another half hour," said Uncle Al, like we were making good time.

I was not too impressed. "Perfect."

We were kind of standing in the shade away from the crowd on this sparse patch of desert ground and grass and junk away from the street. My feet were turning red in places from rubbing around in my heels. I figured no one would yell at me if I shifted the ground around a little. I looked around. Alchemy wasn't illegal around here or anything, right?

I clapped my hands together and slammed my palms on the ground. A quick buzz of red currents radiated from my fingers through the dry dirt. A lovely lump of iron rose from the ground and instantly morphed itself into the ideal transmutation of three outdoor dining chairs. I sat and took the weight off my high heels. Thank God.

"Hey, Nina," said Maes, "why don't you transmute us some iced tea and lemonade while you're at it?" Then he started laughing at the lingering stunned look on Uncle Al's face.

"Drop dead," I said. "I can't do bio-alchemy if I don't have the ingredients to begin with and you know it. Now I'm thirsty."

Maes came to sit. "Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Now I get it," said Uncle Al, still standing.

"Uncle Al?" said Maes, turning in his seat.

Uncle Al looked pretty much troubled but kind of excited in a weird way. He looked over at me and kept looking. "Brother says you didn't start studying alchemy until two weeks ago."

Maes answered for me. "That's right."

Uncle Al still looked only at me. I felt sort of stared down. "I understand," said Uncle Al. "I understand why he was so against you coming. You really are amazing. You could do a lot of damage."

I bit my lip. Maes looked really nervous. "Uncle Al—"

"Don't worry, Maes," said Uncle Al. "Your dad already told me what you two wanted to come here for. You don't have to get defensive. I'll get you to Ling." He walked over to the empty chair and sat. I sucked my lip as he met my eyes again. "But before we do anything else, I think we need to lay out some ground rules. Here's what we're not going to do with Ling's Philosopher's Stone…"


	44. Chapter 44: Overhearing

Author's Note: I. is. falling. a. sleep.

Harryswoman: Al and Mei are so lucky to have each other. It could have turned out badly so easily.

SaFFLover: You understand my alchemy explanations? YAY!

KTrevo: Al is such a little diplomat. He handles EVERYONE.

DanniMaeAnime92: Haha! I like the thought of my story being used as a tool for procrastination.

mixmax300: I like writing this so much better than Babysitting the Boss Guy. Riza and Roy were fun, but it's hard writing accurate characters who've already been prewritten for you. So restricting.

RoseBlossomWarrior: Those boys tried to bring their mom back. One of their babies had to be named after her :P

pitstop96: Fun fact...'Jun' means 'the truth' in Chinese. Totally looked that up before I named her. I saw it and I was like, "Oh, dang! I have a terrible name right here! I'm SO using it!" The End.

Ginger Kaga: Dang! It! I've always wanted to write a co-fic! But I can't after this one is through. Maybe something short/low key at the same time as this? PM me and tell me what you had in mind :)

Kimbblesrath: And there was much rejoicing!

verry-chan: If any guy could handle three daughters and Mei as a wife, plus Xiao-Mei, it's Al.

thealchemistofepicness: I tend to do that a lot :P

otakgirlyy: Oh, yeah, you went on that hike! I wish I could hike, but I've got asthma and I'm scared of bugs...

Hawkstang: I think 'fatass' is Ling's heart. Like, if you opened him up, his heart would look obese. That's where all the love fits :D

* * *

Chapter 44: Overhearing

"If anything's going to save him, it's going to come from her," said Maes. "At first I was just looking for leads. I never would have guessed she'd be so involved. Uncle Al, she could save him with her bare hands."

"It looks that way," said Uncle Al. "From what little I've seen."

Maes's hands were soft around my fingertips like he hadn't really used them for hard work, which I knew he'd pretty much never been able to. He hadn't bothered with the band-aids or the hanky in my mouth for the cab ride. Those dumb idiots saw me lie back and rest my eyes and just assumed I was asleep. I decided to let Maes hold my fingers for a little while longer. Since he'd already gone to the trouble.

Roads around Xing Capital were freaking busy, and Uncle Al said it was like that all the time. I could've cried for him. It was like everyone was sitting on their horn at once the entire ride and we only moved a couple inches every minute. And Xing Palace was a heck of a ways away from the station, considering the traffic. The cab lurched like the beat of a song.

"Brother's never really talked in depth about Nina with me," said Uncle Alphonse. "For Mustang's sake. He knows it's private."

Maes answered pretty simple. "Yeah."

"I knew she'd been forced through the Gate when she was little," said Uncle Al, "and your dad told me she'd been dabbling in manipulating life-forces. But holding her hands like that—you did it the moment she fell asleep. That's for Flame Alchemy, isn't it?"

Maes waited a while before answering. "Yeah."

"Brother told me she'd stopped lighting herself on fire when she was three."

"She still has nightmares," said Maes. "They're bad. Lighting herself on fire is the least of her troubles. I wouldn't worry about it."

"She dreams about the Gate?"

"She never talks about it."

"My first dreams after getting my body back were horrible," said Uncle Al. "I can't imagine what it must be like for her, having seen as much of the Truth as she did at such a young age. It makes sense that she'd use alchemy in her sleep. It sounds like a desperate subconscious attempt at self-defense."

"Yeah," said Maes.

"What's the face for?" Uncle Al asked. I assumed Maes was making a face. I kind of wanted to look.

"Was I making a face?" asked Maes.

Uncle Al laughed. "What's bothering you, big guy?"

He still called Maes 'big guy'. That was pretty much adorable.

I heard Maes make a soft sigh and his hands squeezed my fingers just a little bit. "I don't know what to do for her."

"I think you're already doing it. She seems happy with the way things are." There was a pause. "You're not?"

"I'm very happy."

"I know. That's not what I meant." Uncle Al chuckled quietly. He had a sweet, rippling kind of laugh. "It's odd seeing you so dedicated to one person. She means a lot to you after just two weeks."

"Two and a half," said Maes. His hands loosened on my fingers just a little and I accidently tightened mine. He was too wrapped up in whatever to notice, thankfully. "I've known her longer than that."

"Hearing about her life from your dad isn't the same as actually meeting her."

"Hearing about it has nothing to do with it," said Maes. "I didn't need to. We've lived the same life."

Maes's hands gripped my fingers tight again. I kind of wanted to squeeze back.

"Maes," said Uncle Al, kind of low and serious, "we can't afford to get distracted."

"I know."

"Brother and Winry didn't start focusing on each other until after he retired."

"Yes."

"And Mei and I—"

"Yes."

"You can't—"

"I won't," said Maes. "We already talked about it. We agreed we wouldn't…" Maes sighed. "Nina said she wouldn't…It's okay, Uncle Al. She won't get distracted."

"You sure?" Silence. "What about you?" Silence. "Maes?"

"I'm fine."

"Maes…"

"I'm always distracted," he said. "Nina's the best distraction I've had in a long time, so don't worry about me. I'm healthy. Worry about Dad."

"I do."

I wondered if I should try to fall asleep so I could be convincing waking up. I wasn't sure how waking up naturally was supposed to look. I wasn't too sure how I'd do faking it.

"She saved my life, Uncle Al," said Maes. "With the condition my body was in, I wasn't going to live much past my late-thirties."

Wait, seriously?

"I nearly cried on the phone when he told me you were better," said Uncle Al all happy.

"He told me you did cry," said Maes cheekily.

"Well," said Uncle Al, kind of mumbling, "I don't remember."

Maes laughed softly. "She's such an idiot. She's so scared of what will happen if she messes up with my dad. I've watched her. She's terrified. She keeps saying she hasn't done anything for us yet. We have to wait to thank her until she's actually done something for us." Maes laughed a little louder. "For the first time in my entire life, my mom listened to me breathe and she told me that I might live to see my grandchildren."

"Nina doesn't see that as doing something for you?" asked Uncle Al. "She really is a dummy."

"I never told her my life expectancy had been affected." Heck yeah, he'd never told me! "I was worried she'd get sidetracked from Dad and try to save me too. I had more time."

"That was wise." Sure, but I would have liked to know anyway.

"She felt awful. She wouldn't even smile. She said she'd helped me on accident and she could've just as easily have killed me." Maes paused. "I could've kissed her."

Which he had. He gotten all smiley and excited and then he'd kissed me right on the mouth. I'd thought it was just about saving his dad, but no. I'd saved Maes.

I realized that before then, the prospect for Maes ever having a family meant widowing his wife before he'd turned forty. All that time the two of us had spent together before then, Maes had probably never even planned to make a move. He'd probably been fixed on us being friends and nothing more from the beginning. He'd been watching me and getting to know me same as I had with him, except he'd done it knowing he couldn't have me. He'd fallen for some other guy's girl.

And then, straight out of nowhere, I'd fixed him. All the sudden his body could handle a long-term relationship. He could make a move, be more than just friends. He could actually have me. I wasn't some other guy's girl anymore.

My stomach felt sour just thinking of how happy he'd been that day in the hallway, how he'd held me and kissed me right out of the blue. And how I'd kissed him back and then immediately turned him down.

For the first time in his tragic life, he had the option of falling in love and he'd gone and fallen for me. He'd been waiting all his life for that. I'd turned him down.

And then, without even hesitating, he'd told me it was alright. He'd wait for me.

What the hell was he thinking? After all he'd been through, after all the crap he'd had to suffer, after all that time he'd wasted, here he was waiting on some flake he'd known for less than a month? Idiot!

He was eighteen years old. He was freaking gorgeous. There were plenty of girls out there, ones that wouldn't put him on hold, and he could have had his pick. Why wasn't he moving on?

"The two of you seem to get along," said Uncle Al.

"I never knew a person could be so honest," said Maes. "I've never seen anyone so unafraid to make herself vulnerable. Even to complete strangers. Nina knows exactly who she is. She knows who everyone else is, too."

"Sounds a lot like you," said Uncle Al. I agreed.

"No, not really," said Maes. "My mind works differently than most people. I know that. There are a lot of things I can't understand about others. But that's how it's always been. I know how to love people without understanding them."

"And Nina knows how to love them even though she understands them?" said Uncle Al with a chuckle. "I have to give her credit for that. Sounds like she's very forgiving."

"She is. I don't think she even knows it." So, apparently I was very forgiving.

"Well, if it's just her personality…" Uncle Al paused. "She understands you?"

Heck no!

"Better than most people," said Maes. "Better than anyone on some points."

"Do you understand her at all?" asked Uncle Al.

Maes held my fingers in both his hands. So warm. "We've lived the same life, remember? I understand the parts of her that are parts of me." Maes stopped for a moment. He gave my hands a gentle squeeze. "And then some parts that aren't parts of anyone but her."

I tried hard not to suck my lip and give myself away. How the heck was I supposed to fall asleep now?


	45. Chapter 45: Uncle Ed's Dumb Secrecy

Author's Note: Migraine? We'll see...

mixmax300: Yay! You called my characters 'round!' Best compliment you can give a writer!

DanniMaeAnime92: I did college algebra a few semesters ago. I agree with you. Total bust. I liked it okay in HS, but my professor at college was a real tool. Glad I'm done.

KTrevo: Yeah, Edward seemed fine around just about any girl but Winry. Poor guy :P

SavFFLover: D'aw, you liked my short chapters even though they were short? I feel kind of dumb posting chapters with such massively varying lengths, but my summer's getting packed. Cannot help it. Just have to make them relevant like you were saying.

Hawkstang: I can just imagine Nina stretching all exaggerated and rubbing her eyes with her firsts, making a big loud yawn for authenticity.

pitstop96: Yeah, I just like knowing in the back of my mind that I named one of Al's daughters after hell. Haha!

otakgirlyy: Leave it to Al and Mei to make a triple-pack of hyper-female spawn! Only them...

PhantomhiveHost: I was typing out your screen-name and all the sudden I was like, "Oh, hell! What if Maes was in the Host Club? He'd start complimenting all the girls in really insulting ways but he'd be popular anyway. He'd hang out with Tamaki and somehow he'd be able to talk like Tamaki was a perfectly rational person. Then he'd have a two-hour conversation with Mori on nuclear physics and Americanization in the east." And then I was like, "Oh, dang! He'd totally treat Ciel like a kid and get away with it. Then he'd go to the zoo with Grell. Sebastian would secretly want to be his best friend. He'd make him A LOT of food involving corn." Okay. I'm done.

kilamija: I love the word 'endearing.' Glad you're reading! You've come in at a good time ;)

Ginger Kaga: Oo! That's what I've always wanted to do! EdxWinry! Don't even worry about writing skill. The whole point of writing is you never quit practicing because you'll only get better :)

Harryswoman: Poor Ed. Just can't catch a break, haha! (and he never understands why he gets hit...)

* * *

Chapter 45: Uncle Ed's Dumb Secrecy Wrecks My Plans

I bolted up like always, but this time I was in a cab and I woke to the sound of Maes telling the driver, "No, she's fine. Just keep driving." I closed my mouth from screaming and licked my dry lips. Maes still had my hands, so I pulled away. Uncle Al was looking at me like I'd just been shot and I didn't have long to live. I tried to remember why I'd thought it was a good idea to fall asleep for real instead of just faking waking up.

"You okay?" Maes asked, resting his hand all comforting on my back.

"You're supposed to gag me from screaming too loud," I said in a grumble.

"We're not on the train anymore."

"Your hands are soft," I said, "but you've got some random callouses."

"Automail," said Maes. "It makes my hands rough in places. Sorry."

"No, I like it. I've got some random places myself, except mine light things on fire." I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and let my face fall into my hands. I rubbed around my temples.

"You sure you're okay?" asked Maes.

"You got water?"

Uncle Al handed me a bottle. I opened it and dumped it over my head. It was lukewarm. What a bust. I handed the empty bottle back. "Thanks."

Uncle Al took it. He looked at me like he was pretty much stunned. So did Maes, but not really. I licked the stale drips off my upper lip and more or less realized I was being weird.

"Sorry," I said. I ran my fingers through my half-damp hair. I looked down at Sophie's purple shirt with its front all soaked. "At least I'm not wearing white."

Maes laughed.

Uncle Al looked at the empty bottle in his hand. He looked at me. "Do we need to pull over?"

I blinked. "What for?"

Uncle Al looked a little puzzled at me. "Well, so you can…" He stopped. "Never mind."

Maes gave me a lighthearted smile. "So, not too bad?"

I sank in my leather seat. "Not too bad." I smiled back.

I caught Uncle Al giving Maes a serious look. I caught Maes locking eyes with him and shaking his head like he wanted him to shut up for a while.

"So, we're going to check into a hotel first thing, right?" I asked.

"A hotel?" said Maes.

"Well, yeah, we just got here. Isn't lodging top priority when people go places?"

"We're staying with Uncle Al in the Chang district."

"Sure, but you said that's a gazillion miles away from the Palace. I'm talking about for now."

"We'll drop in on Ling to explain the situation to him," said Uncle Al, "but my girls are expecting me home to tuck them in. Mei's making chow-fun."

"Yay!"

"But I want a shower," I said. "Seriously, don't fancy palaces have dress-codes or something? Maes might get in—might—but I don't stand a chance. I'm wearing Sophie's satin pajamas and I smell like coal-dust and cheap train food. Maes, you still smell like that skank's perfume. I think it's ground into the fibers of your coat. We're completely matted. Plus, now I'm all sweaty from my nightmaring. This isn't going to work out. We need a pit-stop something fierce."

"Ling won't give a darn," said Maes.

"Yeah," said Uncle Al. "I've seen him in worse condition than the two of you put together. He doesn't have room to talk. Don't worry. You're with the Elrics, so you'll get in."

Oh, sure. Go as the Fuhrer's daughter and I'm put on hold. Go with an Elric and the gates swing wide open. Classic.

"Listen, Nina," said Uncle Al, kind of toning it down. He looked me in the eye. "Ling considers Brother to be one of his closest friends. Even though Brother's well over twice Ling's age now, they've kept in touch just as easily as they did twenty-three years ago. But they haven't seen one another in person for six years."

Maes looked nervous. I fought a frown. "So my dad wasn't the only one. Uncle Ed didn't want the Emperor clued in that he was dying either. Is that right?"

Maes nodded. "If he'd known, he probably would've offered his Philosopher's Stone a long time before now."

"He offered it for Maes," said Uncle Al. "Brother might have used it if Maes hadn't told him not to."

"Whoa, I thought Uncle Ed was some kind of a big-shot when it came to being ethical with Philosopher's Stones."

Uncle Al laughed at that. "It's different when it's your child's life in your hands. Personal convictions don't have the slightest affect. You find yourself hurting in ways you didn't know were possible and then you start to realize how little you care about things that used to seem important." Uncle Al looked at Maes. "Of course, the only experiences I can speak from are the times Ming got lost at the Wednesday market when she was two and when Trisha broke her arm falling out of a tree last autumn. Brother's had it a lot rougher than that."

"But the Emperor-guy doesn't know Uncle Ed's a goner?" I said. "You couldn't have told me sooner? I thought I was just going to get a feel for his Philosopher's Stone and be on my merry way, but no. Now we've got to storm the castle, tell the poor guy his best friend's been secretly dying for the past six years, then, after that bomb's been dropped, we have to explain my 'ability' with alchemy then explain my plan then ask him permission then wait for him to think it over—"

"Let's just start by introducing ourselves," said Maes. "The only other time Ling's seen me in person was when I was young enough to sit on his lap."

I shrugged. "I don't know. You're skinny. You might still fit."

Maes laughed kind of hard. Uncle Al looked at us like we were ridiculous.

He scooted forward on his seat so the driver could hear him clearly. "Up ahead. Let us off at the front entrance." Uncle Al turned to me. "Sorry. We have to walk from here."


	46. Chapter 46: The Emperor's Hot Bodyguard

Author's note: If you could have any character from another anime appear in a Flame Legacy OVA featuring a crossover, who would it be?

mixmax300: Oo, oo! Or they could babysit the Rugrats and Maes and Tommy would esteem each other and Maes would help Chucky get over his fear of turkeys. Then Nina would have a stand-off with Angelica and establish dominance. Then Maes would let Spike share his cornbread. Then Nina would watch Reptar with the kids and get genuinely excited. Then Sophie would come over and give Phil and Lil tattoos. Betty wouldn't even see any difference. (This probably made no sense if you never watched the Rugrats as a kid)

SakuraHarunaFan: Over half of what Nina says is hilarious and she doesn't even mean to be :P

'Guest': Maes seems like the kind of guy who would get away with sitting in other guys' laps.

MUFFINS-with-MAES: Hotness in a to-go box? That's freaking sexy, haha. So great to have you reading. I'm honored to be your first fic. And I **love** your penname ;)

verry-chan: Yeah, Nina shouldn't be too surprised over the whole 'lifespan' thing. Let's be honest. Edward 'saving' Maes's life just prolonged his death. I had a friend in HS with a life expectency on him. Saddest thing ever. You never would've known it just hanging with him. And yeah, poor Nina got the short end of the stick on sleeping patterns. Everyone gets the occassional bad dream, but you never get a break when it comes to the chronic nightmares.

SavFFLover: The better you get to know a person, the weirder you seem to other people when you're together. Everything between you is personal and just understood, so you start speaking and acting in non sequiters other people can't follow. I say in friendships, the weirder you are to outsiders the better :D

PhantomhiveHost: Haha! I caused a tooth-brushing disaster! People read my fic in the strangest places. I should give out awards or something.

DanniMaeAnime92: I get that a lot of people would want their friends to know they were dying, but I think Ed's probably more like me. No real point in making a big deal over goodbyes. Best just to have the people most important to you around you for the time you have left and not waste energy comforting all your grieving friends before you're even gone. And...13 week old puppy? CUTE! What kind? I imagined white and puffy like a duster, but that's probably just the Dr. Suess in me.

KTrevo: Hey, let's be hoest, to Xing, the Elrics ARE Amestris, lol :P

Harryswoman: Hahaha! I was about to agree with you about how Maes and Nina were perfect for each other and then I had this HORRIBLE idea. I should just write out the whole story, then at the end of the last chapter switch things around completely and have Nina end up with Selim instead for no apparent reason. Gahahaha! You readers would seek me out and commense torture until I rewrote the thing. That's what I'd deserve, anyway. Maybe I should write and alternate ending OVA...

pitstop96: If Ed wasn't the Fullmetal Alchemist, he'd be the Full-of-secrecy Alchemist. He's such a stoic little liar. Poor dear.

* * *

Chapter 46: The Emperor's Hot Bodyguard

So, getting to the Palace was an eye-opening experience for me. Really. Like, I'd never realized how much people had to put up with just to get into big-shots' domains. I'd thought it was trouble going through all the gates to my front door, but that was nothing compared to doing it without the keys! I got so many looks flashing my 'Mustang' ID it was just silly.

We came to what Uncle Al said was the last gate. I believed it. The thing was twelve stories high and looked like it was plated with gold. Maes said they actually decorated their architectural junk like that here. We were the only ones around, pretty much. The crowds from the street had really thinned out around here, which made me think the area had started getting exclusive. I felt like such an insider.

The Palace was supposedly absolutely tricked out, but I couldn't really catch a view of it yet. It was gigantic with, like, a thousand different rooms inside, but it was all one level. The walls were blocking it. Uncle Al said that was the point.

And that was when the super amazing masked warrior, I kid you not, popped up at the top of the wall then ran straight down the thing. It was a freaking vertical drop and the guy went down it like he was coming down a hallway. He was all dressed up in black with these nifty deadly weapons strapped here and there for easy access. He had a freaky mask that looked like a demon-clown and his black hood up so he looked like a psychotic serial murderer. I wanted to be his best friend.

He walked toward us in confident strides and I sort of figured he was probably sent to assassinate me. I backed a little behind Maes. Uncle Al actually came forward and went on over to meet the scary warrior halfway. Maes glanced back at me and looked like he wanted to laugh.

Okay, so Mister Scary Warrior looked a heck of a lot taller from far away. Uncle Al met him in the middle and Uncle Al was, like, a good half-foot taller. The guy was actually kind of petite. Kind of a letdown.

Uncle Al faced the warrior and smiled. "A personal welcome, Lan Fan?"

The guy pulled off his mask. And blinked his thick lashes in the sunlight. And pulled his hood off his beautiful, tied back hair. And spoke with his sweet feminine voice. "I received word of your arrival from the second gate. The Emperor wasn't expecting you so soon after your last visit, Alphonse." Oh, crap! Mister Warrior was a woman!

"It's a freaking girl!" I whispered.

"Congratulations!" Maes whispered back, like we were talking about a new baby.

"This visit isn't for me," said Uncle Al. He gestured to me and Maes standing all that way behind him and Lan Fan looked. "I brought some guests. They'd like to speak with Ling as soon as he's able, if that's alright."

"Is it urgent?" asked Lan Fan. She was squinting at me and Maes like she was trying to see us better through the sun's glare. "Who are these guests?"

Uncle Al led her over to us. She was too pretty to be carrying all those weapons, just like my mom and her revolvers. She looked like she was about the same age class as Uncle Al and the rest of them. Yet another buddy from the child-soldiers involved in the Promised Day? Considering she was involved with the Elrics to begin with, it wasn't all that farfetched.

"What is this?" she said, stopping where she stood about four feet before Maes. "Who…?"

"It's not Edward," said Al with a smile. "But he does take after him."

Lan Fan furrowed her brow. She stepped forward and reached out a little like she wanted to make sure Maes was real. He let her poke his face. "Maes?"

Maes grinned. "You got it on the second try!"

Lan Fan laughed. "You're Maes? That's not possible! Last time you were here you were barely out of diapers. And now you have facial hair. Am I really that old?"

"Kids will do that to you," said Uncle Al.

Maes looked at Lan Fan in admiration. "Wow, you don't have any color in your face at all. You could pretend to be dead and everyone would believe it."

Lan Fan kind of hesitated in her conversing and just looked at Maes not knowing what to do next. I rolled my eyes and stepped from behind him. "He's telling you you're beautiful. Just take it as a compliment and try not to think too hard about it. You'll sleep easier."

Maes looked at me like he hadn't realized my translation was necessary and he was a little surprised I'd said anything. Lan Fan looked at me like she'd forgotten all about what Maes had said to her and she was just wondering who the hell I was.

"This is Nina Mustang," said Uncle Al. "She's a friend of the family."

Lan Fan looked skeptical. "She's also the Fuhrer's daughter in your country."

"This visit has nothing to do with Amestris," said Uncle Al. "It's strictly personal. I promise. We just need to speak with Ling."

Lan Fan looked at the three of us even more skeptical. "Just allowing her to set foot beyond this gate makes it about Amestris, whether that is your intent or not."

Maes looked severely unhappy. Uncle Al looked pretty much frustrated.

"You want to bring him out here, then?" I asked.

They all looked at me.

"Since I'm not allowed in there," I said.

Kind of an awkward pause.

"We don't have time," said Maes, "for any of this."

"Please," I said. "I just need a minute with him. I'll give him right back to you as soon as I'm done."

"Alphonse, Maes, you two are welcome, but the Fuhrer's daughter stays outside."


	47. Chapter 47: Getting into the Palace

Author's Note: I'm going to be going on a trip to look after my grandparents for two weeks coming up in about ten days, so I've been furiously writing so I'll have this special 'bank' of chapters I can post if I don't have the time to write every day. This includes OVAs, of course, because they can be easier to write. Mostly because I don't have to constantly worry about doing the plot/characters justice. Let me just say, crossovers are pretty darn fun. I chose Ouran for my first. It seemed like a good start for a beginner! Plus, it was easy enough to write even for an audience who might not have ever seen Ouran (which sounds crazy to me). I don't know when it'll go up, but look forward to it :D

SavFFLover: Lan Fan and Ling are one of my favorite pairs. I've seriously considered writing a fic someday dedicated to them. But really, there was no realistic way for this plot to make him and her still in the same age range twenty years later :(

mixmax300: Rugrats are the equivalent of childhood happiness. They inspire the young to do great things. I feel that a future president someday is going to accidentally quote Tommy Pickles's wisdom in his acceptance speech.

verry-chan: Why yes, yes Nina did happen to save Riza with her own life-force as a tiny child. Funny how Nina was never told of this...by the Mustangs or the Elrics...hmmmm...;)

Hawkstang: I love how in the series, even though Ling has Greed to make him immortal, he still passes out from hunger. Oh, Ling. Darn Philosopher's Stone has him stuck with his hypoglycemic teen-guy metabolism for all eternity. Poor guy.

pitstop96: Uhm...think overprotective AND political. Like in the series except now Lan Fan is compensating for Fu's absence by being EXTRA wary for Ling. That's pretty much it.

KTrevo: Lan Fan's a fun character to screw with. In the series and in fanfics :P

PhantomhiveHost: You know, I should just use the next chapter to say "And thus, Lan Fan gave her orders and Nina's entire journey and purpose in life was canceled out. Maes said his thanks to Nina and set out to find a better savior. Nina went home and ate burnt toast with her dad. 'Well, that was more or less the most pointless thing I've even done in my life, Daddy.' The end."

Harryswoman: Actually, Nina had a secret mission from the Fuhrer himself to infiltrate Xing Palace and hold the Emperor at gunpoint until he returns one of Mustangs many calls. Seriously, both nations are at peace. What could Mustang possibly want to talk about?

otakgirlyy: Nah, Maes doesn't have the braid, though Nina thinks he could pull it off if he wanted. His hair's actually pretty short. Think of how Ed's was before he was twelve. Kind of more like that, if you need the visual.

Takara Rose Oizumi: I hate it when that one insignificant speed bump wrecks the whole operation. It's like, if all this gets ruined, at least let it be something really tragic that ruins it. Not Lan Fan and her dumb 'duty to her Emperor' :P

Illovebooks: Nina tends to hold her own. I just pray for the idiots who cross her, haha :D

* * *

Chapter 47: Tactics to Getting into the Palace

Yeah, so Lan Fan was apparently pretty darn protective over this Emperor of hers and she didn't like the idea of me going to him and bringing my politics with me. Like, she really wasn't going to let me in. I was standing out there in the same PJs I'd been wearing for the past three days waiting to get just one touch at that kid's damn Philosopher's Stone, and here this bodyguard lady was freaking out because she didn't want the Emperor exposed to bad press or something.

I had no idea what her issue was. Maybe she was just brushing me off the same as Xing seemed to brush off my dad when he nagged at them. I just knew I needed to get in and Lan Fan was being a pain. Uncle Al was getting frustrated. Maes was getting panicky. I was getting ticked.

"Let me talk to Ling," said Uncle Al. "Just give him a call from the watch tower. Let me explain it to him then he can decide for himself."

"Nina's no threat," said Maes.

"I'm no threat," I echoed.

"Nina's not the one I'm worried about," said Lan Fan. "What I'm worried about is how it will appear to the outside world. There was no premise for her visit. The citizens should have been informed of her arrival and her purpose before she even came. It will appear to them as though the Emperor may be keeping things from them. More important, the head officials will feel that the Emperor has left them out of some great secret."

"Jeez, are all Xing's problems so freaking cosmetic?" I asked. What a drag.

Lan Fan frowned like she was taking it all personally. "Maes and Alphonse are welcome. The Fuhrer's daughter is too much of a risk to the Emperor."

"But…we made it." Maes shook his head. His eyes had gotten big and scared like a trapped animal. "Lan Fan, please. Don't stand in the way. So many things can stand in the way, but you're not on that list. Please."

"I'm sorry," said Lan Fan, actually sorry. "I vowed to bar him from every threat."

Oh, so she was one of those 'duty' chicks. Kind of like my mom except my mom protected my dad because she was head-over-heels for him. Lan Fan could have protected the Emperor for the sake of maternal instincts, I supposed. Or good old fashioned loyalty to her country, but that was boring like nothing else.

Maes breathed kind of fast like he was working himself up. It made sense. Ling was our last lead and the fact that we'd gone through all this trouble proved that. I could've roughed Lan Fan up for making Maes so bothered.

Lan Fan did her best to be diplomatic. "There are plenty of tea houses before this gate where the Fuhrer's daughter can wait while you visit the Emperor."

"No!" Maes shook his head. "No, we need her. We came here for her sake, understand? She's the only one who can…" Maes's voice got caught in his throat and he was just quiet for a while, swallowing hard. He put his fist on his stomach and pressed it up under his ribs.

I kind of recognized the look on his face a little, the 'oh no' look. Uncle Al got suspicious over the extended pause. "Maes?" I saw Lan Fan wince and rub her left shoulder.

"Ow!" said Maes, his face twisting in sudden pain. He clung to his shirt under his automail and pressed. "Oh, God! It feels like I'm having a heart attack!"

I helped Maes ease down to his knees. He was shivering pretty hard. The sky was starting to look a little more grey than blue to me. Uncle Alphonse knelt with us, not quite catching on to what was happening.

"I'll signal for a doctor," Lan Fan said kind of strained. She was still massaging her left shoulder like she'd just thrown it out.

"Wait!" I said. "What's wrong with your shoulder?"

"Nothing," she said kind of hurried as Maes continued to shiver from pain. "This area of Xing is close to the sea and the weather can change very quickly. It's hard on my joints."

"Do you have automail, then?" I asked.

Uncle Al got that look like he all the sudden understood. "Forget the doctor, Lan Fan. Just open the gate. We need to get Maes inside."

Maes looked at me pretty frightened. "This doesn't feel right. This isn't how it's supposed to be. Usually I sense it hours before…" He gritted his teeth and tucked his chin to his chest. "Too fast. Too much!"

"Open the gate," I said. I met Lan Fan's black eyes. The sky was getting dark from all the clouds. "Open it. I won't go in. Just get him inside. Don't ask why. Just do it. I'll stay here."

Lan Fan nodded like I'd kind of given something away and she was understanding a little better now as well. She walked off to some guy posted at a guard tower. Uncle Al gave me a grateful nod. "It's okay, big guy. We're going to get you inside."

I felt Maes clamp his hand over mine. I looked at how his arm was trembling. He looked pretty darn anxious.

"Don't leave me," he said. "Please. Mom and Sophie aren't here. I don't want to be alone. Please, don't stay behind."

"Your uncle's going with you."

Maes squeezed my hand tighter like I was trying to pull away. Uncle Al rubbed Maes's shoulder in an effort to reassure him. Maes tightened on my hand. I tightened back.

"I'm not going to leave you," said Uncle Al. "Try to relax. We'll be inside soon."

The gates were parting and creaking heavy. Maes breathed. "But I want Nina." He grimaced. "Oh, God! I don't want to be sick."

"Maybe you won't be," I said.

Maes held down a gag. "Really hurts," he said.

Lan Fan came over. "Some servants are bringing a stretcher. I'm assuming it's impossible for him to walk on his own like this."

"Yes, thank you," said Uncle Al.

"Don't want it," said Maes. He'd started to pant to keep up with his painful breathing.

"Maes, you've got to go inside," I said. "You're going to get sick staying outside through the storm with me."

"Get sick no matter where I am," he said. "Inside just helps a little."

The men were coming over with the stretcher like medics on duty in a gruesome battle. The sky got heavier. Maes gasped, clutching his stomach. His hand squeezed mine pretty hard, painfully so.

"Storms can last for days at a time in this region," said Uncle Al. "Come on, Maes. You need to go inside." He took Maes's shoulder.

Maes shrugged him off forcefully. "I can't go. What if Dad dies? What if you tell me he's dead? She has to be there. She said she'd…she…" He ground his teeth. The warning of approaching thunder rolled through the ground.

I rubbed Maes's bedhead and shot him a nice smile, actually sort of for real. "Hey, I just got this crazy idea, okay? You go ahead with your storm sickness while I fall asleep with a nightmare, then we'll get one of the guys on guard duty to tell us who screamed the loudest. You have to let yourself scream, though, or it's a total dud. No holding back. This is science."

Maes smiled really shaky but totally calmed down. "I'm in."

"Nina," said Lan Fan like my dad calling his men to attention. I looked up. She looked strict like a scary young school teacher. "The Emperor will not be held responsible for your safety or any actions concerning you upon crossing into his palace."

I sucked my lip. "Yeah?"

Lan Fan turned and led the way through the open gate, still stuck rubbing her shoulder as the clouds rumbled on. Uncle Al walked with one of the servants explaining the stuff Maes should have in his room, like engine oil and a puke bucket. They carried Maes on through since he really couldn't walk on his own at all. He had me walking next to him, still holding my hand.

"Sounds petty," I said, "but you got storm-sickness in the nick of time."

"Could've happened whenever," said Maes. "Glad it happened now. Still doesn't feel good."

I chuckled. Dumb but true. I was actually on my way into the palace with him. That was a very good sign, regardless of the fact that it was only because he'd chosen me as his designated nurse.

"Doesn't feel right," said Maes, holding his stomach. "Weather's different here. Don't like it."

"You'll feel better once you're tucked in."

"Thought it would be better since you healed me," he said. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Not better enough." His face winced and he muffled a groan.

"Wow!" I said. "You're actually letting yourself talk like a total wimp for once. Bravo. I'm proud of you."

Maes looked up at me with glassy, dilated eyes. "That so?" He smiled faint. "Guess you're right." He looked thoroughly pleased. "Right."


	48. Chapter 48: Emperor

Author's Note: Thanks about my grandparents. I'm not going over for another ten days(ish), and I'll still be posting every day while I'm over there (God willing). I'm just writing ahead a little right now so I'll be prepared. It's hard because I have stuff written that you don't get to read until later and I have to make sure not to spill spoilers in my replies :P

**Oo! Good idea for OVA inspiration for later!** (Seriously, I keep all of your creative tid-bits in a mental bank for hard times. It helps.): Give me a piece of your own made-up dialogue you'd want a specific character to say and I'll try to include it in one of my bonus chapters I do.

KTrevo: Maes is lucky. The sadder a character's life, the more they deserve to be written a happy ending. Unless they live by a sadistic author...

SavFFLover: Why, I'm so glad you asked! Yes, Maes's automail WOULD be affected by the dry heat, however, you are correct in thinking the train would shelter him from those effects. Crossing over deserts in direct heat for long hours like Ed had to in the series would not feel good for Maes, but staying inside the train keeps him nice and comfy.

Harryswoman: "Look, bitch, Uncle Ed is dying so you're gonna let me see Ling!" - That's 'alternate ending' material right there. Very much in Nina's character, word for word :)

mixmax300: Usually when I feel sick or get hurt I just retreat to my room and look after myself. Maybe that's the underlying reason I subconsciously made Maes so stoic...Or it's just Ed's always been stoic and it made sense to have Maes the same way as his dad. Take your pick :P

SakuraHarunaFan: You're right about that :) And then there are the things she doesn't say aloud, she just thinks. It's funny to imagine how different people would react if they knew what she was thinking all the time.

Hawkstang: What kind of person still manages to pass out from low blood-sugar even with an immortal body?! And then he's this serious, wise, future leader of a country on the side who can kick total ass in a pinch. Ling's incredible :D

PhantomhiveHost: Nina should totally kiss Maes's storm-sickness vomit-mouth. Now that's true love.

pitstop96: Maes is pretty spoiled, but he sure does pay for it :( Well, at least Nina gets to enjoy the perks with him! Haha

purpleswans: Yep, I would get pissed during the series at how Lan Fan could be so cold and closed-minded when it came serving Ling, but it really does suit her character, and, in the end, it's very sweet *insert 'awwwww' gush*

otakgirlyy: I think Nina needs a button to induce mini-storms on the fly in case she needs Maes to get storm sickness at convenient times from now on.

AlchemistLeigh95: Aw! You started your own account? I just got one new reviewer with the penname 'MUFFINS-with-MAES'. I'd like to imagine my Maes had something to do with that :P Oo, you're reading Babysitting the Boss Guy? That's my baby. I don't think it's as good as Flame Legacy, mostly because I wasn't writing from the perspective of a character I owned and it was kind of restrictive. Plus, my writing's kind of improved a lot since last semester. I always say it. The more you write, the better you get. Still, Babysitting the Boss Guy does give serious premise. ...and it's my baby :)

SiilverLit: I always have to give a lot of credit to people who read my stuff fast. I'm a SLOW reader, even with my favorite books. And...Maes in a maze of maize? YES! I think about that all the time! It makes my day. Maes eating maize casserole in a maze of maize with his maize-colored eyes and hair would be a-Maes-ing! ...oh, that was horrible...

Ginger Kaga: I think my dream fic would be one about poor Havoc finally finding love while Roy's not looking and can't wreck it with his career plans. A high school sweetheart sounds wonderful! Dear Havoc. ...And Truth...have a daughter?...Bwahahaha! I can't even tell you how indescribably happy that makes me :D

verry-chan: Aha...well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see ;)

Illovebooks: Yeah, Maes looked up the weather forecast for Xing Capital a week ago just in case he and Nina had to spontaneously sneak over there and Lan Fan wouldn't let them into the Palace at that exact moment. Worked like a charm. Way to plan ahead, Maes!

DanniMaeAnime92: Aw! I like doggies (on average). I lived with the grandparents first semester of college and they had a Belgian Shepherd I got with my grandma from a shelter when I was thirteen (ish?). I'm usually afraid of big dogs, but this girl is my sweetie. She'd lick my feet to keep me up during all-nighters. Such a needy boo. I can't wait to see her when I go to my grandparents' this summer! Sorry about those 3/5. Saddest thing ever is death of the young, even in animal form.

* * *

Chapter 48: Emperor

Maes rolled onto his side under the embroidered red covers and just breathed with his eyes closed for a while. He'd been fighting through the storm for the past two and a half hours. With the rain finally letting up, the poor guy was finally getting a break.

Uncle Al had come in to check on Maes about ten minutes ago and then just stuck around. Maes curled up like he'd never get up again. He hadn't spoken in almost half an hour. Poor thing had been in too much pain to sleep it off. Uncle Al stood and patted Maes's sweat-damp hair.

"You're okay, buddy," he said. "You did great."

Maes didn't open his eyes. Just kept breathing deep and slow.

"No, I'm pretty sure that sucked," I said.

Apparently storms this far east were different than storms in Amestris, kind of harsher. It had caught Maes off guard. He wasn't used to the onset being so abrupt. Plus, I'd fixed his automail now. Before, when it was busted, it was more sensitive to the weather and Maes could feel a storm coming on from a billion miles away. Practically.

"I'm going to call Mei and tell her we're staying the night here. I don't want to move you with a storm so fresh in the air."

Obviously Maes didn't bother answering. It was completely understandable. The guy had puked himself into dry-heaves before it had even been an hour. He'd put so much effort into muffling his cries that his nose had eventually started bleeding from both sides. He'd sweated through three pairs of sheets. He was in no mood to chat.

Uncle Al gave Maes a last pat and left Maes's guestroom to call his wife. I sighed lazily, sitting back. The novelty of both me and Maes being on the same bed in our pajamas had worn off hours ago. Now it was just an efficient place to sit.

"I hate Xing," Maes said quietly.

"Yeah, well, I think it pretty much hates you too."

Maes smiled faintly. "Feels like it."

"Still hurts?"

He had his hand rubbing under his ribs. "Getting better." He opened his eyes. They were both bloodshot.

"You thirsty?" I asked.

He shook his head and closed his eyes again.

"You tired?"

He nodded.

"Want me to shut up so you can sleep?"

His drained hand peaked out of the covers and rested on top of my hand next to him. "Stay."

"I don't mind sitting around. Go ahead and fall asleep. I'll be here when you wake up. Unless maybe I have to pee or something."

Maes pulled his hand back under the covers and curled up deeper. His face winced like moving made him sore. He looked up at me wearily. "Thanks."

"Hey, my parents did a good job at raising me boring. I can sit around doing nothing all day and call it productive. Don't even worry about me. I'm not looking to be entertained."

Maes smiled like I was cute. I wondered why the heck I was cute this time. He shut his heavy eyelids and sank into his pillow. Within the course of three short minutes, his weary breaths eased into long sleeping breaths. Poor guy was wiped out.

He looked kind of like what I'd imagined angels looking like, with his skin all freaking pale from being sick and his pretty gold hair all disheveled around his peaceful face. I kind of wished his covers were white instead of red because white would've looked way more angelic. Red was kind of symbolic of hell. Although, the only hell I'd ever seen was nothing but white. I decided I liked the red. A lot.

There was a knock on the door, the confident kind. I got up and hurried over before the dimwit could pound on the door any louder. Probably another dumb servant bringing towels or something. I opened the door a crack.

"He's more or less done," I said softly. "Be quiet." I opened the door enough for the guy to get in. He was kind of tall and young-looking with this gorgeous black hair tied real neat at the back of his head. His clothes had some nice colors to them, an artistic dresser. His eyes were beady little slits and they looked dang creepy, but I tried not to judge.

"Hey, kid," I said as he came in, "you want to do us a favor? Get that nasty bucket next to the bed out of here. The room's starting to smell like vomit."

"What do you mean, 'starting to'?" he said. He smiled at me kind of amused. Sort of condescending. Oh, those squinty little eyes!

He looked at Maes sleeping. For a moment he just observed, kind of looking over the whole situation. He stepped closer and stared from just a few feet away. His squinty eyes stretched open a little like he was crazy shocked. I watched the blood drain from his face and his chest stop breathing for a moment. His gaze turned heavy and he shook his head.

"Lan Fan warned me about the resemblance," he said.

"Lan Fan?"

He turned to me. "I am Emperor Ling Yao. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Mustang."

Oh. Emperor. Got you. Dear God.

I laughed. "You really are pretty much young."

"Emperors here have been known to come much younger."

"Yeah, well, my dad became Fuhrer before he was forty and that was considered really young over in Amestris."

Ling was looking at Maes again. His eyes were sad and soft. "Immortality can be disorienting at times. If Lan Fan hadn't told me it was Maes who had come to visit instead od Ed, I might have gotten confused at first."

"You don't have to be immortal to get confused over those two," I said. "I've seen plenty of people these past few weeks mixing Maes up with his dad. I wouldn't blame it all on immortality."

Ling smiled a bit. He was kind of an adorable emperor.

"What happened to him?" Ling asked. He looked at Maes. "I knew he was a weak child, but what the servants have told me seems a little extreme. They said he had a fever and was vomiting from some kind of pain, but they couldn't tell me what it was. I thought that perhaps he had caught something on his way over here, but that isn't it, is it?"

"Uh…" I wanted to wake Maes up to make this less awkward. "Guess not."

"Tell me, Miss Mustang," said Ling, eyeing me, "what happened to him?"

Seriously? I'd just met the Emperor and we were already having controversial conversations. I puzzled out how to tell him the truth without saying anything important. I failed miserably.


	49. Chapter 49: Quality Time with Uncle Ling

Author's Note: I wish I had an Uncle Ling :( Wow, my comments get randomly long. I kind of sometimes answer a chapter's FAQ in one response to a reader and then keep the rest of the responses brief. Oops?

verry-chan: Ling's such a versatile character. That's what makes him so funny. One minute he's telling King Bradley how to be a good ruler and angsting over Lan Fan's sacrifice, and then suddenly he's passing out from hunger and making fun of Ed.

SavFFLover: Haha, I liked your little contemplation over 'perfection' and the Gate and stuff. Usually I'd be pretty skeptical over TV program philosophy, but FMA makes a lot of sense when I start explaining it in my fan writing. Very convenient.

mixmax300: If Nina really wanted to stall and let Maes rest, she could always give Ling that lap-dance she had in store... Of course, Maes's 'jealousy sensors' would probably wake him up and defeat the entire purpose.

PhantomhiveHost: 'Pushy Ling' is adorable. Lan Fan and Fu always made such a big deal over Ling 'lowering' himself with people (particularly Ed). It always made me wonder if he'd been different with people back home. Seems out of character for him to act spoiled...

KTrevo: Nina would probably just poke Ling to see if he was sleeping light then she'd just leave him there on the ground to rest so she could finally go take that shower she'd been wanting. Or she'd order room service and eat it in front of Ling as he struggled to stay conscious long enough to get out that he was hungry.

pitstop96: I was talking to my sister and she said Nina's like me (which I DID NOT mean to do. I strongly discourage basing characters off oneself. People don't know themselves half as well as they think they do.) Honestly, though? I think Nina's main similarities to me are her flaws and opinionated bull :( Puke story- I used to work at a place and there was this volunteer who came in and I had her take care of a kid who ended up sicking up his breakfast on her cuz he was crying too hard. Poor gal was a newly-wed too. We were laughing after she left early cuz now she wasn't sure she wanted to start a family too soon. Not gonna lie. Kind of my fault. But hilarious.

kilamija: Aw, thanks for saying that. I agree fully. I enjoyed writing Babysitting the Boss Guy. I REALLY did. There's just only so much a writer can do with characters that aren't originally hers. It's tough writing honest 'affection' dialogue between two characters who don't really show that side too much in the original series. They may be capable, but it's hard to make it convincing with almost nothing to go on. Plus I had to keep everything I wrote lined up with the original's military protocol and then make sure there was a definite method for Roy to become Fuhrer despite the events I created (basically have a way to undo EVERYTHING I screwed with by the end to keep it in line with what the series implied), so that really limited my 'plot wiggle room'. Maes and Nina are a joy to write and they make everyone around them a joy to write as well. Plus, with all my 'original series' characters a couple decades older, I get some slack with character growth and development. It allows me to go so much deeper. This writing feels more like mine. Gah, I wrote a lot! Oh well, you get the idea :)

AlchemistLeigh95: I should've just done a huge build up about Ling and then just not had him show up in the story at all. Or Nina could've done a five-sentence paragraph summary on their entire visit to Xing and skipped straight to the end. Heh heh! Sadistic writers' shortcuts XP No, I'm not that mean. Don't worry :S

Harryswoman: I can imagine Ling like a hundred years later getting angry at Ed's great-great-great-great-great-grandson as he tried to teach Ling how to use a cell phone. "You know, when I was your age, we'd just put a quarter in a booth to make a call. We didn't have any of this 'blue tooth' and 'touch screen'. That just sounds suggestive." "Well, it might be easier for you if you opened your eyes all the way, Uncle Ling."

Hawkstang: I feel like Nina would've told Ling to get the puke out even if she'd known it was Ling from the start.

Takara Rose Oizumi: Something about Ling just made me happy every time he entered a scene in the series.

DanniMaeAnime92: Aw, glad to hear your puppies are doing well :D I get what you mean about 'absorbed.' I usually focus a lot on my publishable material, but lately I've gotten so excited over this fanfic. I'd actually had Maes and Nina's characters in my mind for about a year before I even decided to turn them into legit, on-paper characters. They've come to life more than I'd even tried for. Even if I can't publish it, I've still got readers enjoying it with me!

* * *

Chapter 49: Quality Time with Uncle Ling

Ling had this look on his face like I'd just stepped on his birthday cake. Even though I hadn't meant to step on his birthday cake, even if I'd maybe tripped or been pushed or something, I'd still somehow hurt his feelings over it. He was totally shooting the messenger.

"I understand," said Ling, sinking into a bamboo-woven chair. He'd chosen to remain standing through my entire half-hour explanation. Something about now made him need to sit.

"You get it?" I said. "It's a lot to handle. I know, seriously."

"No," he said, not exactly defensive, just stating the facts. "I've known Ed for twenty-three years. He's one of the few people in my life I could depend on never to outgrow me, at least not for a while longer. Now it seems he won't last nearly long as I'd counted on. I'm sorry, but you can't know what this is like. It's just not possible. I didn't realize I'd be outliving him so early on, Ed of all people. And he wasn't even planning on telling me."

"You're talking like he's already gone," I said, feeling a little unappreciated.

Ling looked at me like I was a letdown as a guest. "But he is, isn't he? It's only a matter of time, and time goes by quickly for me. You said you were able to salvage his son's life by some accidental miracle, but fixing poorly connected automail is different from restoring a man's life-force."

He was a homunculus, right? So if I dropkicked him with my strappy heels on, his nuts were bound to grow back.

Maes stretched a little under the covers and half-yawned, half-moaned. "You're underestimating her, Uncle Ling. Nina's a total badass when it comes to life-forces."

I folded my arms. "See, now we're talking."

Ling stared at Maes all over again, all stunned and awed just like he had when he'd first come in the room. "It's unsettling. You smile just like him."

Maes pushed himself up and rubbed the side of his forehead like he maybe had the beginnings of a headache. He turned his eyes to look at me, still pretty much bloodshot. "So, you told him about my automail?"

"Oops."

Maes shrugged. "It was inevitable, I guess. He's got a right to know with what we're asking of him. It's probably best it came from you. It's not as personal for you."

"You've even got his tacky coat hanging over that chair," said Ling, pointing across the room where I'd hid it.

"That's what I said!" I suddenly felt a connection between me and this Emperor-kid.

"You people have no appreciation for flare," said Maes.

"Amen to that."

"Agreed," said Ling.

Maes's arms and legs trembled a little as he shifted out of bed. He was still pretty weak. Maes was looking cheerful, but Ling wasn't too used to the whole routine yet. His face got kind of a mix of ashamed and worried, his eyebrows getting all crinkled up and his mouth turning down tight.

Maes held onto the bedpost to steady himself as he stood. I came to his side and let him hold onto my shoulder.

"You need to pee?" I asked.

"And a shower, maybe?" he said, glancing at Ling. "All that sweating made my hair brittle. It's uncomfortable."

"You should brush your teeth," I said. "Your breath smells pretty much acidic. You puked your guts out."

"I remember," Maes said dryly.

Ling looked at us more or less at a loss. "I'll have to call someone. I have no idea where they keep toothbrushes and that kind of thing. Being Emperor basically means you do everything for your people but then your people insist on doing everything for you. To be honest, I haven't picked out my own shoes in over twenty years."

I left Maes for a second to give Ling a hug. "Oh, you poor thing!" He'd gone kind of still and awkward like people usually didn't hug him. "I know exactly how you feel."

Maes sat back down once Ling had gone on out to get someone to take care of us. Kind of cute Maes had the Emperor running us errands. Well, sort of. It was funny to think about, anyway. Maes got me to sit next to him.

"Sorry about spilling the truth over the automail," I said. "I didn't really say much, but I guess I implied a heck of a lot."

"Yeah, you did." Maes chuckled. "It was kind of cute how hard you were trying. You're so bad at it!"

"What, lying?" I was kind of sulking now.

"No," said Maes. "Playing dumb." He smiled at me like that was something impressive. "I get the feeling that 'ignorant' for you is the equivalent of 'well informed' for most other people."

I felt a little warmth in my cheeks, the first blush I'd had in a little while.

"I didn't hear you talk to him about his Philosopher's Stone," he said. "Did you?"

"All things in small doses."

"I didn't think so." Maes smiled like he was proud of me. "Good girl."

"He's still mad about your dad, though," I said. "I mean, we changed the subject, but he's still mad."

"I shouldn't have expected him to feel otherwise. He's hitting his midlife crisis at fifteen. It's a hard place to be."

"Just don't get passionate," I said. "It's not fair, but you can't get upset. If this kid starts feeling victimized, he might shut us out. He's already got it in his head that it's pretty much hopeless. It's going to be tough without that Philosopher's Stone as reference. I don't want to risk that happening."

"No getting passionate. Got it." Maes put his hand on my shoulder. "And you. I need you to do something for me in that case."

"Yeah?"

"Don't hug him with your whole body again." Maes looked at the door Ling had just left out of, annoyed. "Side-hugs are fine, but no more face-to-face. We clear?"

"Yeah, sure." I sucked my lip a little, fighting a smile. "Your call."


	50. Chapter 50: OVA Ouran Crossover

Author's Note: So, even though my chapters aren't all that long, they take a long time to write cuz of all the thought I have to put into them (so nothing I put down comes back to bite me in the butt in later chapters). Anyway, that said, this is the crossover I said I'd do. Ouran was most requested and I wrote it out pretty straight forward so it's easy to understand if you haven't seen that series. It doesn't go too far into any kind of plot...more just an introduction or something. It kind of just started getting long. Maybe I'll do another sometime with more of the Ouran characters involved. Whatever. Enjoy!

SakuraHarunaFan: Nina would make a great acceptance speech at a presidential election. Just saying.

Hawkstang: Yeah, plus she's kind of still wearing Sophie's skimpy summer PJs.

'Guest': I offered to take the kid back, but she was like, "Oh, no, I got it." Who enters a nursery expecting to come out clean? Apparently her.

verry-chan: Ling should be passive aggressive and go with Lan Fan and Ed to dinner and then surprise Ed by making him buy. "Well, you're dying right? You can't take that money with you. Oh, and tips are fifteen percent in Xing."

SavFFLover: Ugh, I actually hate how long my replies are sometimes. Mostly because it's SO much easier to write a ton of conversational replies than to write four lousy pages of real story material. I kind of wish it were the other way around :P Well, glad you like it, haha.

PhantomhiveHost: Even Maes answers to the primal male instinct of, "Hands off my girl!"

KTrevo: "Side humping"? Interesting... With all the innuendos and implications of this day and age, Maes would probably end up keeping Nina in solitary confinement and feeding her tootsie rolls from the comfort of her padded cage so he could keep a close eye on her.

mixmax300: I was writing that bit about Ling grabbing Maes a toothbrush and I kept thinking in my head, "Slumber party!" (I keep extra toothbrushes in my bathroom cuz my friends tend to forget theirs.)

Takara Rose Oizumi: Well, Ling is a guy and he's not dead. And Maes is a guy and he knows how guys think. I've got brothers. They fill me in on this stuff.

Ginger Kaga: Sorry, your email address didn't show up. Probably some kind of censoring from the site. Are you able to do private messaging on this website? That might work better.

DanniMaeAnime92: Six-flags in NY in the summer? Sounds nice. NY doesn't get too hot in the summer, so you won't get heat stroke! Yay!

otakgirlyy: Maes just doesn't want her to hug Ling from the front because Maes is jealous. Side-hugs are one thing, but face-to-face is...noticeable?

* * *

Chapter 50: OVA—Ouran Crossover

So, it happened pretty much out of the blue.

"You know," said Maes at dinner, "I'd like to finish the sixth grade."

And that was how it happened, more or less. After six years of being stuck at home dying, Maes was finally strong enough to give education another try. Aunt Winry gave the okay. Maes got some above-average—and beyond—scores on certain entrance exams. Uncle Ed threw his weight around. And, just like that, Maes was enrolled smack-dab in the middle of fall semester at Ouran Academy.

A damn stupid school.

I'd perused it as an option back when I was picking a high school as a teenager, but it really wasn't my cup. The teachers were alright, I guessed. Kind of aloof. But, dang! The students there were tacky as hell! I mean, they tried to be good people, but they had no idea how dumb all their problems were and all they ever did was complain about their dark sides and junk.

And I only spent one afternoon with some of them at an open house. Called themselves a 'Host Club.' What kind of high school offers a 'Host Club' as an extra-curricular activity? The thing was the equivalent of a window-shopper's pick-and-choose brothel.

Nothing redeemable about that setup. Trust me. I tried to think of something. The school was prestige. And that was about all it had to offer.

Until Maes came across it. Oh, Maes.

Because of certain laws, as an eighteen-year-old, Maes couldn't attend the sixth grade, or any other grade below high school level. Luckily his test scores cut in half could have gotten him into med school, so he got through the doors of any high school pretty darn easy.

Of course, naturally it was kind of hard for him to pick a school at that point. I mean, there were a lot to choose from and none of them set limits to guide him by. So, when Maes walked through the doors of Ouran Academy and saw the tacky blue uniforms with the ugly purple ties, he turned to me all excited and bouncy and said, "Nina, look! They're beautiful! I want one!"

And thus, we had a tie-breaker.

Maes was enrolled in Ouran. And, somehow, through a multi-part series of Maes giving me really sweet looks and saying really adorable stuff, I got convinced to act as a teacher's aide for Maes's first-year class. Maes sitting there ready to learn in a classroom full of indulged fifteen-year-old kids while I stood up at the front taking attendance? I could've puked.

"Fudge…" I muttered, looking closer at the role-sheet, "Fudgy…Fudgy-Yucca? What the hell? You guys have the ugliest damn names!"

Maes chuckled into his hand up at one of the front desks. New-kid seat of shame.

"It's Fujioka," said a carrot-haired kid in a really bored drone.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "I already got you down, Hitachi-doubles. You want your names pronounced correctly then try changing them to something normal. Then we'll talk. Okay, Fudgy-Yucca…you here?"

A cute little brown-haired guy sitting between the bored Hitachi-doubles raised his hand and gave me a reassuring smile. "Here." Damn. Something about the way that cute little guy looked all empathetic at me made me feel patronized. I decided I pretty much hated him right off the bat.

Maes was pretty darn incredible at the school thing, but who didn't expect that? So freaking enthusiastic. Answered every question right, read every text way faster than the average human could blink, retained junk like a filing cabinet, and offered insights that probably could've solved world peace in a nutshell.

It was like a game to him, a big freaking game. He was like such a little kid, sitting forward in his desk scribbling out worksheets and then asking for another, not really learning anything he didn't already know, but finally getting to enjoy it with other people. Well, he thought they were enjoying it.

Although, I had to admit, it really didn't take too long for his charisma to draw the others in. Participation really improved once Maes would open his mouth. Duh. Maes effect.

He even made the teacher get rosy and flattered at him when he told her that her varicose-veins brought out the contours of her calves and he got all puzzled as to why she would hide them with stockings even in the warm weather. "Beauty should be admired, not hidden," Maes had said.

"Wow, it actually makes sense when he says it," said Fudgy-Yucca. And the Hitachi-doubles had nodded their heads slow and smirked like the devil.

Eventually, though it seemed like it might never happen, the end-of-school bell did, in fact, ring.

"Wow, he calls everyone by their first names right after he meets them," I heard one of the girls whisper as she grabbed up her school bag.

"It's crazy," said her friend. "The way he talks to me, it makes me feel so relaxed like we've known each other for a long time."

"Did you hear he's actually eighteen?"

I handed the teacher her damn papers and headed on over to Maes's desk. Or, more accurately, the mob of students crowding around Maes's desk.

"Oh, I see," said a girl-voice, all compassionate and sad and junk. "So, you were very sick as a child and you couldn't finish school."

"That's so sad!"

"That must've been awful, not to be able to go to school with your friends."

"Well, not really," said Maes, kind of sincere but also kind of lying. "My younger sister let me borrow all her books from school, and my parents had some books in my dad's study, so I got to read a lot of those. My mom would read to me as well, so that was nice. And then I was allowed to talk to my friends on the phone after my lungs got strong enough for me to speak in full sentences."

I felt it coming, but it still pretty much made me want to kill something. All the girls, and a few of the guys, huddled around Maes and gushed at his 'dark side.' Dark side, my ass! If they knew some of the real crap he'd put up with in his years…it'd probably go over their heads and they'd just gush some more.

But then there was that dumb Fudgy kid, just packing up, not really in the crowd, but overhearing and looking kind of sad and junk. Poopscicle probably had a cute little dark side of his own he'd like to flaunt. Shallow brats. The Hitachi-doubles waited at the door for Fudgy and walked her on out.

I wasn't sure why I'd called Fudgy, 'her,' in my head. I guessed he just had a really pansy way of walking. And a really feminine butt in those black pants. Poor guy. Who'd date that? I felt bad for hating him right off the bat.


	51. Chapter 51: Chilling in Maes's Room

Author's Note: My posting schedule's REALLY off since I had a migraine yesterday. Here's what I was going to post before I went to bed last night :)

mixmax300: Thanks so much about my 50th chapter; 50 daily posts (by my schedule)! ! I think the 'Maes effect' could be manufactured as a biological weapon...

Hawkstang: Haha! Yeah, I tried to make the OVA non-Ouran friendly, but I should've mentioned that Fujioka is actually a girl pretending to be a guy. And girls just tend to have different butts and different ways of walking than most guys. Genetics.

AlchemistLeigh95: LOVE Ouran! One of my first animes too :) I'll considor doing another like it, but not every Flame Legacy reader has seen Ouran and I don't want to leave them out too much. Maybe I'll do some kind of three-part crossover mini-series sometime as a separate story? We'll see :P

SavFFLover: Oh, that crossover was DEFINITELY not part of the main storyline. It was a...fanfiction on my fanfiction? And about having someone like Maes to talk to: In the back of my subconcious, every bit of Maes is based on something I saw in someone else I've known. PLENTY of Maes-like people out there. Promise :)

KTrevo: Yep, Maes is "weird as hell," haha! (loved the way you put that, btw) Yesterday's 'weird' is tomorrow's 'normal'. Not sure that applies to Maes, though...

verry-chan: Ed has such strong moral convictions, even when it comes to his friends ordering room service without asking first :P At least his 'moral convictions' also keep him from killing Ling :S

long live marshmallows: Yeah, in Ouran it's like, "OMG! Poor baby lost her mom! And he had to leave his mom! And no one can tell them apart! Tragedy!" Then you watch something like Fullmetal and it's like, "Oh. Ouran's made of butterflies."

Queen of Narnia49: I'd love to continue it, but I'm not sure because there are some Flame Legacy readers who haven't seen Ouran and I don't want to exclude them too much. I had so much fun writing the crossover that I've thought about doing it as a mini-series on its own sometime, so we'll see.

PhantomhiveHost: YES! I have seen the bloopers :D I got the Fudgy part from there, but I have this thing about fried yucca and so I named her Yucca instead of Okra. Chocolate yucca would taste better than chocolate okra anyway :P

DanniMaeAnime92: Ha! My cousin just got into it too and _she's_ been reading the manga. She and my sister and I recently did an 'Ouran inspired' photoshoot for fun at a slumber party. It didn't work. We just looked like girls in dress-suits :P

* * *

Chapter 51: Chilling in Maes's Room

"Nina, I never realized how stringy your hair got after you wet it," said Maes, fascinated. "It looks like black spaghetti. Do you have to comb it to make it dry smooth? Or does it just straighten out as it dries?"

I ran my fingers through my shower-damp hair, so happy to have it clean again. "I guess it just dries how it wants to these days," I said. "I used to have to style it, but now—"

"Ow!" Maes pushed Uncle Al's hand away from his automail kind of forceful. "Easy there. It stings when that stuff gets on my skin."

Maes's automail had gotten stiff with the storm like it was known to do and Maes had started getting a tight chest pretty soon after getting his automail wet in his shower. Maes was still all tired and stuff from his earlier storm-sickness, plus, even with the heavy rain gone, the clouds were still misting off and on and Maes was sore as heck.

So, when Maes had had got back to his room said he needed to oil his automail and said it strained like he wasn't feeling too great, Uncle Al jumped to it and insisted on doing the maintenance for him. While Uncle Al was going through Aunt Winry's tool-case for the oil, Maes whispered to me that it was better to just let Uncle Al do it. He hadn't seen Maes go through a bad storm since Maes had first gotten his automail and back then Maes really did need help with maintenance.

"Elrics are funny that way," Maes had said. "We can't sit still."

So, here we were—me, Uncle Al, and Maes—congregated in Maes's room, Uncle Al 'helping' while Maes sat back and tolerated it. I was pretty much just there to supervise. And because I had nothing better to do. Seriously, I was a stranger in this Palace. Kind of in all of Xing. I had Maes and Uncle Al, and then this tricked-out guest room down the hall for the night, but that was about it.

Life in Xing Palace was a lot more awkward than I'd thought it'd be. Plus pretty boring. And Ling hadn't come back to us since I'd told him Uncle Ed was dying. Oops?

"Dammit, Al!" Maes said, jerking away. His voice just about cracked midway through cursing, sounded like it hurt. He took a deep breath with his hand over his automail. He coughed on an exhale. "God, that smarts."

Uncle Al looked at his nephew kind of startled. I wondered if it was because he'd accidentally hurt Maes or if it was because Maes had just called him by his first name in the outburst. Probably both.

Maes sighed. "Sorry, Uncle Al," he said with a kind of embarrassed smile. He grabbed the oil off the coffee table like he was confiscating a weapon. "You're a damn good alchemist, but you're no automail mechanic. I think I got it from here."

I smiled to myself. Uncle Al was so cute. He meant well, but it was kind of priceless watching him slowly realize he'd been underestimating Maes just a little on some fronts. Cool seeing him get impressed.

Maes went to work on his automail and fixed it into running smoother right quick. Uncle Al would flinch and lean forward in his chair a little every time Maes would adjust something and wince, but Maes told him it was inevitable that it wouldn't feel good and then he'd remind Uncle Al about how it had been for Uncle Ed before they got their bodies back. So, Uncle Al would look sad and sit back until the next time Maes would wince.

Then it was done and finished. Maes pulled on a shirt.

Obviously Maes and I hadn't brought any clothes but the stuff on our backs, so the Palace gave us some stuff to wear. It was all pretty much comfy. Mine was more or less like one of those thin summer bathrobes with the sash tied up at the waist and the folded-over collar, but it was actually buttoned all down the front like a really long dress-shirt. Perfect for all this damn heat. Plus it was baby-pink which reminded me of home, so that was nice.

Maes got something more boring. It was dark blue and the equivalent of long pants with a longer shirt, both kind of loose on him. Uncle Al said it was apparently supposed to look like that. I said it just looked awkward. Although, Maes did look awfully huggable. At least the stuff was tall enough for him.

"So, you need us to vacate so you can try to sleep again?" I asked as Maes adjusted his shirt.

"Yeah," said Uncle Al, "we can get out of here if you're tired, bud."

Maes laughed. "Name one time in my life I haven't been tired."

I mulled it over. "Before or after I fixed your automail?"

"It was rhetorical, Nina," Maes chuckled. "I don't need to sleep. Just don't ask me to run a marathon and I'll be fine. Though, I am a little hungry."

"Ew," I said. "You were just vomiting all over the place."

"Yeah, so now my stomach's empty."

"You're gross."

"I can't help it if I'm hungry. It's not like I tried to be."

"Still gross."

Uncle Al laughed pretty hard at us. "I'll go see if they'll make you some plain rice."

"Can I have egg in it?" asked Maes. "Sometimes Aunt Mei puts cabbage in her rice. Do you think they could do that here? Maybe you could tell them to put in some meat too. I don't really care what kind. I don't want to be a hassle."

I made a face.

"Sure," said Uncle Al, sort of making a face of his own. "I'll tell them."

Uncle Al got to his feet, but then the door opened before he could get to it. Made me jump in my skin and kind of startled Maes as well. Lan Fan came on in with her hood down and her mask off, waltzed right in.

"Were you wanting white or brown rice, Maes?" she asked.

"White," said Maes. "Brown rice is pretty rich. Don't want to make myself sick again."

"I could strangle you," I muttered.

Maes gave me a cute little smile. "But you won't."

Lan Fan peered out the door and said something to a girl walking by, most likely about Maes's rice. The girl nodded and kept going. Lan Fan came back in and shut the door behind her.

"You know," I said, "you're pretty lucky we were all just sitting here chatting when you came in. People have walked into all kinds of ugly because they didn't bother to knock first."

Maes smothered a heavy laugh with his hand. Lan Fan looked a little uncomfortable.

"It's alright, Nina," said Uncle Al. "I asked her to come. We were expecting her."

"Well, maybe you were," I said with a sulk. "Fine."

I gave up my seat for Lan Fan and walked over to sit next to Maes at the edge of his bed. Maes looked pretty happy. Lan Fan sat, but she sat like she didn't want to sit.

"What's this all about, Al?" she asked, a little concerned. "The Emperor left here from talking to Maes almost two hours ago and he's been shut up in his room eating noodles ever since. He won't open the door except to request more food."

I bit my lip. "Stress eater?"

"What did you say to him?" she asked us, all three of us.

"I wasn't in the room," said Uncle Al. What a wimp. He was totally leaving us to the dogs.

Lan Fan looked at me. I sucked my lip.

"Yeah," I said, "see, I have no idea what I'm allowed to tell you, so I'm going to shut up until someone tells me what to say, you got me?"

Lan Fan looked at me like I was sort of bizarre but mostly just really stupid compared to what Fuhrer's daughters were supposed to be. She redirected her attention to Maes since he was sort of the only person left to chew out. I felt bad for letting him get targeted, but that was better than opening my big mouth and saying something we'd regret.

Maes looked at Lan Fan really bothered. Like, extremely bothered. His brow was all knit and his mouth was all tight. He looked like he was confused about something.

"Well?" said Lan Fan. "What did you say to the Emperor? Why is he so upset, Maes?"

Maes stood a little frail. He glared at her. Actually, he glared at her arm, her left arm. "Who's your mechanic?"

Lan Fan stared up at him like she hated being seated when other people were standing. "What does it matter? What did you say to the Emperor?"

Maes walked over to her and knelt in front of her, leaning to look at her arm. She was wearing long sleeves and gloves, so I wasn't so sure what he was looking for.

"He's an idiot," said Maes.

"Excuse me?"

"Your mechanic," said Maes. He took Lan Fan's wrist and cuffed up her sleeve at her metal forearm. She went rigid like a cat being forced into a bathtub, like she hated being touched. Maes swiveled her hand forward and back, side to side. Lan Fan winced. Maes shook his head. "Your mechanic's an idiot."


	52. Chapter 52: Wait, what?

Author's note: Fun fact- My last name is Armstrong. I'm not buff at all. I'm actually kind of scrawny. Alex would cry if he saw me. Shame.

Hawkstang: No worries. It was a crossover OVA for a non-crossover fic. You're completely allowed to get confused :)

SavFFLover: Nina is what could be called a semi-reliable narrator. As in, her perspective is usually accurate, but pretty darn biased :P

Polarized Penmanship: Haha! Don't worry about reviewing 'too much.' I like reading what people have to say. Great to have you reading :D

mixmax300: Maes is Winry's kid, after all. If there's an opportunity to fix automail, he'll sniff it out :P

pitstop96: It'd be funny if they found out Ling wasn't stress eating, he was just hungry. I would believe that.

verry-chan: Poor Alphonse probably gets really disoriented when he's around Maes. "Brother! ...Oh, wait. You're my nephew. Again."

Illovebooks: People aren't cooperating is what's happening :P Oh well. Maes and Nina can be pretty convincing together.

Ginger Kaga: Hm... Can you check my profile? I just put one of my email addresses up. As to picking a topic for a fanfic, do you mean like basic conflict/plot? I guess I look for areas in the series with room to expand on and I go from there. To be completely honest, my mind writes multi-chapter novels in my head kind of nonstop; some original and some more like fanfics. It's just how I work. So, when I pick a topic, it's usually something I've written a lot of stories about already in my head. That's a really long explanation. Sorry.

MYcookies: Yay! I feel like we should be eating muffins or something. Don't worry about long comments. I tend to write too much as well, so I like it when I'm not the only one :) And I don't give up in the middle of stories. I just don't. So don't worry about that either. Thanks for reviewing :D

KTrevo: What would be really sad would be if Ling stopped eating altogether. I mean, obviously he wouldn't die, but it would be a bad sign.

PhantomhiveHost: Thanks. My migraine is SO much better. Ugh. I thought I was going to die. But I'm caught back up with my 'daily' posts now!

* * *

Chapter 52: Wait, what?

Uncle Al didn't seem half as concerned when Lan Fan winced during her automail tune-up. It wasn't like he didn't give a darn about her. He was just apparently a lot more affected by Maes hurting than he was by her. Made sense. She had an automail arm. Maes had automail fused into his lungs. And Maes was the nephew. Couldn't beat that.

Lan Fan flinched as Maes gently untangled some sort of wire from a knot of wires in her metal elbow. Something about jumbled nerve-endings.

"Sorry," said Maes. "Your mechanic really screwed you over. This arm's insides are twisted up pretty badly."

"I noticed," said Lan Fan.

Maes continued working with the wires with caution like his fingers were surgical instruments. "Not to pry, but this looks like a design geared more toward cosmetic purposes. I would've thought you'd go for durability instead of natural attractive appearance. Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to look good."

Lan Fan looked a little restrained and kind of really irritated. "It gets the job done."

"Not really," said Maes flat out. "I mean, maybe for a while, but this arm had to have been sore way before the storm earlier."

Lan Fan frowned and blushed a little. Aw. Ashamed for picking out a crappy mechanic then getting told off by a kid?

"I'm glad I caught your shoulder acting heavy a minute ago," Maes said. "It would've only been a matter of time with the condition you've got this arm in. I'd hate to think what could've happened if it chose to give out in the middle of you scaling a wall or fending off an enemy. Or holding a baby."

"I don't hold babies," said Lan Fan. "It's not in my job description."

Dang clinical woman.

"Oh, you should try it," Maes said. He smiled. "They're cute even when they cry and vomit on your shoulder, and they smell like sour milk when they're new. It's great. There's nothing like it."

"I didn't know you were a baby-person," I said. Kid-person, yes. Baby-person? Should've seen that one coming.

Maes stopped fiddling with Lan Fan's arm for a second at furrowed his brow all puzzled. "That's a dumb thing to say. Who doesn't like babies?"

Um…plenty of people? I laughed. "You would say that, wouldn't you?"

Uncle Al was smiling over where he was, happy to observe. Maes rolled his eyes like I was being silly and kept on with Lan Fan's arm.

"I can make adjustments if you want," he said to her. "If you'll let me."

"Do what you need to do," Lan Fan said. "I have to get back to the Emperor. You upset him somehow, remember?"

Maes smiled because she'd kind of just given him permission to toy with her automail to no end as long as he kept it brief. He untangled the last of the wires and let them dangle outside her forearm. "About that," he said. "I think there's something you should know. I've decided Uncle Ling probably needs you to know. I mean, we're all his friends, but you've known him since you guys were little kids and you mean more to him than anyone from what I can tell. It'll be rough on him to go through this without you being able to know how to comfort him. That's too much to ask of him. It wouldn't be fair."

Uncle Al nodded his approval. Lan Fan looked confused. "What's going on?"

I stood up from the edge of the mattress. "Wait, what?"

Maes looked at me first then Lan Fan and Uncle Al looked too. They were looking at me like I was interrupting. I really didn't care.

I pointed at Lan Fan. "You've known him since you guys were little kids? You mean 'since he was a little kid,' right? You've known him since _he_ was a little kid." They stared at me and Lan Fan got a little pink in the face. I felt pretty much sick. "Oh, dear God! Screw this. You're old enough to be his mom! You guys were like childhood friends?"

"It was the same thing with me and Brother with Ling," said Uncle Al.

Yeah, sure, but it was way different for a girl. It was written all over her rosy annoyed face. Lan Fan was stuck playing 'mom' for her grade-school crush until the end of time. Eventually it would be 'grandma'! No. No.

"Wow, I really thought you knew about that," said Maes. "Didn't I mention her when I was telling you about the Promised Day on the train a while back?"

I rubbed my face with my palm. "I have no idea. Never mind. Just…Lan Fan, I do not envy you. Your entire life's purpose just about boils down to you babysitting your eternally adolescent best friend until you keel of old age. I could hug you right now, except you look like you want to kill me. I'm shutting up."

Maes had his hand pressed over his mouth and his body was quaking in silent laughter. Lan Fan looked at him and he stopped. Uncle Al gave me a discreet appreciatory thumbs-up while Lan Fan was turned around.

Lan Fan met my eyes. "The Emperor suffered a great deal to gain immortality for his people and he continues to suffer because he is immortal. You have no idea what he goes through, watching time go by for everyone and everything but him. Whatever complaints you think I should have are nothing compared to the struggles the Prince faces and will continue to face beyond any of our existences. Don't mention it again. We don't have the right."

I felt a little thrown off. "The Prince?"

Lan Fan blinked like I'd thrown her off a little.

"Ling was a prince of Xing before he became emperor," said Uncle Al. He gave Lan Fan a look that I figured was meant to reassure her. "She slips up and calls him 'the Prince' when she gets flustered."

Aw. That was kind of sweet. Lan Fan did not look like she thought it was sweet. She was looking pretty pink again. I guessed she hadn't realized she'd slipped up until I'd pointed it out. I felt like maybe I shouldn't have pointed it out.

"Yeah, sorry," I said. I shrugged. "I guess I say stuff without thinking when I get flustered same as you. This whole time I assumed you were just 'one of the guards.' I pretty much overreacted. So, sorry. Really."

Lan Fan stood, holding her half-tinkered arm with the wires still dangling where Maes had left them. She eyed me kind of cold. Oh, jeez! I'd blown it. I'd blown it to hell.

"Lan Fan, I'm not done," said Maes. I could tell he wanted to stand, but he was still pretty tired. He could sense she was on her way out same as I could.

"The Prince…" She closed her eyes and frowned like she wanted to punch herself for messing up again. She opened her eyes. "The Emperor has waited on me long enough. I should check on him."

What was she, his mother? Oh. Right.

Maes shook his head. "He can wait. Stay a second. Let me fix you up. I was going to tell you something, remember?" Yeah, he really wanted to stand.

Lan Fan was moving like she was ready to leave, really ready. "We can discuss it later."

"But if Uncle Ling doesn't have you," said Maes, leaning forward, "he might not be able to handle it. I thought it through. This should've been easy with Ling of all people, but it wasn't and that's because we left you out of it. He's always had you. With everything."

Lan Fan looked at Maes like she was in the process of deciding whether this was all that important or not. She glanced at me and decided it wasn't important. Ugh. I'd really set her off.

"You can tell me after I've talked to the Emperor." She turned.

"No, you're not hearing me. We need to talk before you talk to the Emperor." Maes leaned forward more as Lan Fan walked away. "If you talk to him now, you might say the wrong thing. You could make it worse."

I recognized her walk. It was the 'that bitch just hit a nerve' walk. Uncle Al looked uneasy like he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to make her stay. Maes was looking not all too good. I figured I should maybe go over to him or maybe go over to Lan Fan.

But there was no need. As Lan Fan made it to the door and grabbed the pretty gold handle, Maes pushed himself up by the armrests of his chair and went after her like I deep down figured he would. It was crazy how quick Maes could move so soon after being that sick. The adrenaline probably had something to do with it. Lan Fan had pretty good reflexes, but Maes managed to grab her wrist before she could make a move and I could see his white knuckles gripping her tight.

Lan Fan looked kind of invaded. Uncle Al and I had both come to our feet, probably on instinct. Maes held tight to her until she'd met his eyes. He locked her gaze and let go.

"My dad's dying," he said. He said it quick and firm before Lan Fan could wimp out and try to escape again. I could tell he was trying not to pant in front of her. "That's all. You can leave if you really have to."

Lan Fan stood motionless with her hand on her wrist where he'd grabbed her. She stared up at him with blank eyes and a slack jaw. If she was Ling's childhood friend, I expected she knew Uncle Ed pretty well too.

Maes turned away from her and walked on back toward his seat. He looked dang shaky, but something sad in his expression when he met my eyes said he didn't want help. And he didn't want Lan Fan to see he needed help. He walked past his chair and came over to the bed to sit with me instead. He got like this every time he had to say it out loud, "My dad's dying." I patted his back like we were buds.

"Al, is it true?" Lan Fan said soft and kind of terrified. "Is Ed…?"

Uncle Al leaned back in his chair and stared at the high ceiling. "Yes."

Lan Fan took a few shuffling steps from the door. "How long?"

"How long has he been dying, or how long before he's dead?"

Lan Fan looked a little wobbly in the knees. "Both?"

"He's been sick for the past six years," said Uncle Al.

I watched Maes shrink like he was guilt stricken. He spoke with his voice pretty weak, "We thought he had longer all this time, but it got worse a couple months ago and it's starting to look like he won't make it another year. That's if nothing goes wrong." Maes hunched and kept his eyes down. "But things keep going wrong. So I don't know."

I saw it coming before they did. I think I actually saw it coming before Lan Fan did. She got completely pale all the sudden at the word 'year,' and then she started losing the strength in her knees on 'I don't know.' She swerved forward and I'd already made it over to grab her just in time to keep her steady as her knees buckled.

"Please don't murder me," I said, helping her gently to her knees. "I seriously didn't mean anything against your Emperor. He's a nice kid—guy! A really nice guy. Just keeping you from smashing your face on the floor. No harm done."

Lan Fan sat on the floor with her head bowed between her knees and shook her head like she wanted me to quit worrying. "Al was right. I do get flustered when the Emperor is troubled." She looked at Uncle Al. "So Ed's been dying for the past six years and you never said anything?"

"He didn't want anyone to know."

"What's changed?" asked Lan Fan. "Why are you telling us now? And why you, Maes? And the Fuhrer's daughter? Were you just 'in the neighborhood' and decided to drop in to deliver the news in person?"

"Nothing's changed," said Maes. "My dad didn't want us coming. We told Uncle Ling against Dad's wishes."

"Why?" asked Lan Fan.

There was a brief moment of quiet. I looked at Uncle Al and he looked at Maes. Then Maes looked at me.

I smiled. "That's where I come in. See, I'm going to get my Uncle Ed better, but I'm going to need the Emperor's life force to show me how. You with me so far, or should I start from scratch?"


	53. Chapter 53: Philosopher's Stone

Author's Note: Look what happens when I have time on my hands! Long chapter!

pitstop96: Heck yeah my last name's Armstrong! ...I have very weak arms :(

Hawkstang: I guess my hair is blonde...ish? Multitonal. Definitely don't have the 'Alex Armstrong' flare, lol.

verry-chan: Well...at least Lan Fan can't say she hasn't experienced the best of both worlds with Ling. A lot of worlds :S

KTrevo: Yeah, Lan Fan and Ed have a love-hate thing going on. Stubborn, overly independent automail buddies :D

SavFFLover: Thanks! I'm feeling way better. Migraines may be a bitch, but they're pretty quick to bounce back from.

mixmax300: "she is basically the mom with the hormonal athletic teenager who could eat 8 horses" -gold.

Polarized Penmanship: That picture of Maes holding a baby is great too. Him just smiling contentedly as the bundle spits-up on his shoulder.

MYcookies: Haha! I guess I can be a little...enthusiatic at times like Alex. Olivier would decide I was too soft and skewer me with her sword (she's Alex's badass big sis in Brotherhood, if you didn't know)

* * *

Chapter 53: Philosopher's Stone and Junk

Ling stared at Uncle Al slack-jawed. Lan Fan stood close behind his cushioned chair like foundation. I leaned against the wall feeling awkward. Maes sat on the floor beside me and chewed on his fried rice really content. The only sound in the room was him munching like a little animal.

"This is really good," said Maes. Way to break the silence tactfully.

"So, you want to use my Philosopher's Stone?" Ling asked kind of peeved. He shook his head. "Ed won't let you. He'd sooner die."

"That's not what I was talking about," said Uncle Al.

"Then what is it you want?" said Ling. "I'm perfectly open to saving Ed, but it doesn't matter. You said so yourself. He chose this. He refuses to be saved."

"Yes," said Uncle Al, "but only if it's at someone else's expense. We're looking into methods that can get around that."

"It's a Philosopher's stone," said Ling. "By definition it is the ultimate, 'at someone else's expense.'"

"Consider hearing them out, Emperor," said Lan Fan kind of surprisingly gentle. "Alphonse isn't trying to deceive you. You trust him." Like a freaking conscience helping Ling think clear.

"What do they put in this?" Maes asked, holding up his half-empty bowl. "It's kind of sweet."

Ling ignored him. He looked at Uncle Al, who already had his eyes on him. The two exchanged a glance before both looking away. Uncle Al had his usual sad eyes, but Ling was looking more than sad. He was positively dejected. It was written all over him. "I thought I could trust you," Ling said.

Lan Fan paled a little, realizing she'd pretty much said the wrong thing. I wanted to tell her not to worry about it. I probably would've said something a hundred times worse.

"We don't need to trust each other," said Uncle Al. "But I'd like to see my brother live past forty."

I noticed he'd said, '_we_ don't need to trust _each other_,' rather than, '_you_ don't need to trust _me_.' Establishing from the start that the shakiness in the relationship was mutual. I was thinking Uncle Al might've been a little sore that Ling wasn't cooperating. Understandable.

Maes pricked up from his rice for a moment. Apparently he'd noticed his uncle's word-choice too.

"He doesn't have much time left," said Ling. "Is that right?"

Uncle Al nodded.

"So, if I was to get involved and Ed was to find out, he'd go to his grave considering me an enemy. Is that right?"

"No, you're missing the point," said Uncle Al. "If you get involved, Brother won't be going to his grave."

"He'll go to his grave eventually, no matter what happens. Everyone dies. It doesn't make a difference when he goes. He's not going to forgive me."

"You're worrying about him forgiving you?" Uncle Al looked a little angry on the edges. "That's an afterthought, as far as I'm concerned. He needs us now. We can worry about the rest later. We're not asking for much. Five, ten minutes? Let Nina analyze your life-force and we'll be on our way. We don't even have to tell him it was you."

"He'll know. This is Ed we're talking about. He'll know in a heartbeat."

The word 'heartbeat' seemed to trigger something in Maes, made his muscles twitch all down his body.

Lan Fan spoke softly to her disgruntled Emperor. "Just hear him out."

Maes set his bowl on the ground and balanced his chopsticks neatly on top. The bowl wasn't empty yet, but Maes didn't exactly look like he'd lost his appetite. He'd found something more worth doing than eating. His eyes were distant like he was people watching through a window and he really didn't approve of the people he was watching.

Maes stood up next to me. I didn't really say anything at first. Lan Fan was still trying to get Ling not so completely overwhelmed and Uncle Al looked like he actually had a passive aggressive urge to overwhelm Ling on purpose. I wondered if they'd been tense like this before today when Ling had gotten the news. I thought about it and figured it made sense that they'd be a little cold with each other to begin with.

Uncle Al had apparently been a friend of Lings back when they were teens, and Uncle Al had to have pulled away pretty painfully when Uncle Ed started getting sick and he wasn't allowed to tell. Ling probably had already felt pretty darn abandoned, as if he didn't already have enough abandonment issues over outliving everyone he knew. Poor baby. Made so much sense he'd be scared of Ed rejecting him too.

Maes leaned on the wall a second like he was recharging his muscles and going over stuff in his head. He leaned off it, staring forward at the current quarrel.

I folded my arms and kept my voice down, "Well?"

"I've decided," he said, "it's time for me to get mad."

I smiled at him even though he wasn't really looking. "Guess so."

He nodded slow. He blinked and then he blinked again. "Okay."

Maes walked over to the bunch pretty darn smooth for such a weak person. Of course, Maes was the kind of guy who could suck it up when he knew he needed to. Guess he needed to. Lan Fan noticed him coming first and went a little guarded. I seriously hoped she wouldn't interfere. Maes got the job done when he got pissed.

Maes stepped over right in front of Ling still seated, almost toe-to-toe, towering over him. Uncle Al stared at Maes's back, kind of stunned at being cut off so abrupt. Ling looked up at Maes with an irritated frown but Maes wasn't looking at Ling. He was looking past Ling and everyone, distant, people watching again.

"What?" Ling said flatly. "Do you have something to say too?"

Maes blinked. Didn't look. Lan Fan looked like she was really ready to break it up. I sucked my lip. This should be good.

"What is it?" said Ling, his voice mounting a little.

Maes blinked again. He sighed. "I'm not very strong right now, but I think I'll do it anyway."

Lan Fan was way too tense. I tried to catch her eye, to shake my head and forbid her to interfere, but she was just staring at Ling and Maes and that was it. Uncle Al looked like he didn't want to be seated anymore.

"What are you going to do?" asked Ling.

Maes smiled a little, which didn't end up surprising me at all. It wasn't one of those messed up sadistic smiles. Just kind of a pleased smile, like, 'I'm so glad you asked!' Finally, he looked at Ling. The smiled melted off completely. His eyes got heavy, almost disappointed.

"It's my fault, you know?" he said.

Uncle Al cringed at the words he'd probably heard before out of Maes.

"I should be dead, not him." Maes said it like he wouldn't have minded if it'd happened that way, which I really didn't like. "The dummy gave up some of his life-force to save me but my body took too much from him. It's my fault. Does that make sense?"

Ling was frozen like he'd just accidentally trespassed on a mean farmer's land and he was totally afraid he'd be shot if he moved.

"My dad means a lot to me," said Maes. "I understand that it's hard for you, having to live a thousand lifetimes, watching everyone die and leave you behind over and over. I can't imagine how painful that must be to wake up to every morning."

"What, are you trying the 'good cop' approach now?" Ling sulked.

Maes's blank-page of a face brightened with a sudden smile and he let out a short but kind of enthusiastic laugh. "Not even a little!"

His golden eyes gave off kind of a flash like there was something shiny inside the gold part whirling around in his eyeballs. He'd gotten handfuls Ling's collar before Lan Fan could stop him and he'd jerked Ling to his feet methodically enough to dodge her instinctive attempt to separate them. Uncle Al stood.

"Stop!" Ling said, struggling against Maes's hold like a kid having a tantrum.

"No, I don't think I will."

I caught Lan Fan out of the corner of my eye and I figured maybe I should run over and tell her to back off. But she was actually just sort of standing there. I'd thought a warrior-woman like her would've knocked Maes on his ass by now, or at least tried to. But there was something about the way the lines on her forehead rippled, almost like she'd cry or something. Something in her had made her stay where she was.

It seemed to go the same for Uncle Al. That kind of surprised me a little. I figured he would have at least told Maes to take it easy since he'd been so ill earlier.

I caught Maes's knees shaking as Ling continued to pull. Sure enough, Maes 'relocated' Ling to the floor, hard enough to wind him. Freaky how easily he was able to overpower a freaking homunculus in his condition. Lan Fan flinched.

Ling coughed. Tiny red transmutation currents flickered around him, figured Maes had slammed him down hard enough to bruise him into healing himself. "Stop!" said Ling. It seemed to be the only argument he had at this point.

"Let's get one thing straight," Maes said. His expression quit smiling and turned pretty dark. Good for Maes! Lose that temper! His arms trembled with effort as he pinned Ling down with unnecessary force. "Edward Elric is your friend. Edward Elric is my dad. He's my dad, so quit sulking about not being told he was going to die like you're a victim. Not being told he's dying is better than having to watch him suffer for six years knowing you did it to him. It's better than living through six years with automail in your chest and pretending it doesn't hurt because you don't want him to find out he gave up his life so you could live out yours in so much pain you wished you were the dead half the time. It's better than spending six years telling him you'll find a way to save him, then after finally finding one, some backstabbing bastard refuses to give it to you because he took it personally when no one filled him in six years ago that his 'friend' killed himself for you. Walking Sophie down the aisle, becoming a grandpa, growing old with Mom, I took that away. You're just one friend out a hundred I took away from him. This isn't about you. You can just go ahead and turn me and Nina out if you want, Emperor, because I don't want to hear any more whining about how you got the short end of the deal this time. I'm the one who killed my own dad. I'm the one who had to watch him die. I'm his God damn son!"

The room was really silent. All I could hear was Maes breathing. He'd probably completely strained his lungs with everything that had happened that day and now this. Ling had his eyes looking up at Maes's stubborn gold stare, the dark, tarnished kind of gold.

Ling's eyes were wider than I was used to, and pretty much shiny like he was inevitably going to cry. Poor kid. Seeing how violently the exhausted muscles in Maes's arms were starting to tremble, the way Ling had his gaze locked on Maes with a kind of oddly gentle quality mixed in with the bitter edge, I half wondered if Ling had let himself be pinned down.

Lan Fan had her hand on her mouth, I was guessing to hide her expression. Uncle Al looked like he really wanted to go rescue Maes and tuck him into his bed with a teddy and a night light. I sucked my lip.

My bare feet didn't make much noise on the floor and I'd kind of been forgotten by most everyone a decent while back, so it wasn't any surprise to me when Lan Fan and Uncle Al and even Ling jumped in their skins a little at the motion ripping open the perfect stillness. I hated perfect stillness. Too much like the Gate. Maes was the only one who didn't seem to be caught off guard by my—a little shameless—entrance onto the scene.

He kept his eyes on Ling, dead on, chest heaving, trying to catch his breath up with his most likely racing heart. I squatted on down next to him. He was pretty much still besides the breathing and trembling arms and the occasional blink. The tense suspense in the room was almost tangible as I hugged my arm around Maes's shoulders.

"I'm going to be sick," he said. Ling suddenly looked very much nervous.

I patted Maes's back. "No, you're not. Your heart's probably just beating too fast. Get off of Uncle Ling and take a seat. I think you got through to him."

Maes took in a sharp breath. "I feel really sick."

"You're fine. Just get off him. You're making him more or less terrified."

Miracle of miracles, Maes got up and Ling hurried out of projectile-vomit range just in case. Uncle Al didn't hesitate to push a chair right behind Maes. I helped Maes sit and crouched beside him with my elbows both propped on the armrest in front of me. Maes breathed.

"Better?" I said.

Maes nodded.

"You going to be sick?"

Maes paused a second. He shook his head.

"Told you," I said. I patted his arm. "You were awesome. Totally lost it. I'm proud of you."

He opened his eyes a little and smiled faint. "Thanks, Nina." He blinked his eyes open a little more. He looked over at the wall where we'd been standing. "Can I have my bowl? I didn't finish."

The rice? "I thought you said you felt sick."

"Not anymore."

I made a face on purpose as a reply and got up to get his nasty rice.

"Alright," Ling said.

I stopped and looked at him. He was standing next to Lan Fan pretty calmed down. It was interesting he was standing next to her. She'd seemed to make a point so far to stand behind him like a shadow.

"Alright?" said Maes.

"Alright," said Ling, "you have my permission to analyze my life-force."

Maes blinked. "Really?"

Ling nodded. "I apologize. I've been a little selfish lately. You caught me at a bad time." He smiled to himself. "You know, you look exactly like him when you get angry."

"Brother was always angry," said Uncle Al with a chuckle.

"Was?"

Uncle Al shrugged. "I've never seen him angry around Maes. Sophie drives him nuts. She's too much like him."

"She's like Mom," said Maes, looking at his knees kind of contemplative. "They're all like each other. They always argue. It's really nice."

Ling and Lan Fan looked like they didn't get Maes's reasoning. Uncle Al looked like he was used to it.

"Hey, Mister Emperor," I said as I retrieved Maes's bowl, "we should do this before you have another mood swing and change your mind."

They were looking at me. I was cool with it. I'd been gawked at since I was a kid for being Nine Mustang. I handed Maes his bowl. He looked too unsettled to eat it now. He stared up at me sort of apprehensive. "We've had a full day," he said. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"It's no big deal," I said. "I just need to put my hands on his body for a minute and we're done. I want to get it over with while we're all here."

Maes flinched at the word 'body' and Uncle Al chuckled into his hand. Didn't know what to make of that exactly.

I turned to Ling. "What do you say?"

"Is it going to hurt?" he said, eyeing me skeptically.

"It's a non-invasive procedure. Take off your shirt." I sighed since Ling looked sort of not so sure. I smiled all nonthreatening and junk. "Please?"

Ling looked less than convinced, but he pulled his fancy Emperor-shirt over his head anyway. "What are you going to do to me, anyway?"

"Can't exactly put it into words," said Maes. He made it sound scary. Was he trying to freak Ling out?

"Wow, Emperor!" I said, pointing at him. "You're totally chiseled."

Ling wrinkled his brow like I'd asked a stupid question. He was pretty darn fit, though. I'd always imagined Emperors being really squishy and just sitting on their butts all the time while everyone else just exercised for them. I had to give him credit for keeping in shape despite his position. Although, with the perpetual teen-metabolism burning his fat and the homunculus body, he probably had an easier time of it than most guys.

I smiled absently to myself. Maes had trouble walking across a room half the time and he still managed to maintain a more or less gorgeous body. I remembered the first time I'd seen it in Rush Valley when I accidentally walked in on him without his shirt, how the automail really didn't look altogether bad when you put it with the rest of him. He made it look good. And that time I'd felt his life-force for the first time, feeling it coursing under his bare skin as I ran my fingers…

Lan Fan coughed. "You said you were ready?"

I snapped my gaze around. Yeah, my face was definitely warm. I caught Maes in my peripheral still looking uneasy about something or other. I sucked my lip. I spat it out. I looked at Ling. "Think you could sit down? Scratch that. Lay down."

"Lay down?"

"Yeah. The floor's fine."

Ling was looking really freaked now. Emperors probably laid on the floor as much as Fuhrer's daughters did; or were supposed to.

"It's okay, Uncle Ling," said Maes with a reassuring smile. "She just doesn't want anything to go wrong."

Ling's squinty eyes unsquinted a little. "Go wrong? What? What's going wrong?"

I shot Maes a look that said, 'Let me do the talking.' Uncle Al laughed under his hand again.

"Just lay down," I said. I pointed to the ground like he needed directions. "You've faced worse, am I right?"

"I don't know yet," Ling said. He reluctantly sat on the ground then lay back all vulnerable and stuff. Lan Fan hung close. "What are you going to do?"

I knelt next to him in a similar set-up to how I'd done it with Maes. "I'm going to put my hands on your for, like, five minutes maybe? And then I'm going to take them off and hope I found some kind of answer. The end."

Ling raised his eyebrows like he thought it was way too good to be true.

"Don't worry," Maes said. "This is her second time, so she sort of knows what she's doing. I'm sure there won't be another accident."

Uncle Al was laughing again. Ling popped up a bit, "Wait, accident?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed Ling down with my palms. "Shut up, Maes. You keep saying the wrong thing." And I stopped talking after that as my hands pressed against Ling's chest and sifted through the violent charge of his body for the current of his life-force.

My eyes probably glazed over or something because all I noticed was the pulse inside Ling. It was strong, so strong Maes's life-force would've seemed dead in comparison. Just the energy radiating off of him was almost uncomfortable to make myself vulnerable to. It was like having music on with the volume too loud.

I felt along, not really knowing where I was going, just following the general movement of the pulse. Ling's life-force was different from Maes's. Maes had had a definite current and I'd latched onto it almost immediately after feeling it. Ling's current was everywhere. I could feel its effects, but I couldn't find its flow.

I felt my body shudder as a sharp buzz ran up my arms and forced itself through me. My hands had found it, the flow. I felt another painful buzz, thought of backing off, thought of Uncle Ed and Maes, then let the current sweep me away.

Big change. I thought the buzzing was bad before. Oh, dear God! I couldn't breathe! This wasn't a current. It wasn't a life-force. It was thousands of tangled life-forces forced into one unnatural current, bending to the will of the life-force original to Ling's body. I tried to focus on that, on Ling's current, but the other life-forces were bound to it in a tangled, pulsating mess.

I could feel it. I could feel them banging on the walls begging to be let out. I wanted to let them out. I wanted to unbind them from Ling's current, but I couldn't feel any means to do so. I couldn't undo what had been done to them, not even a little. There was no hope for them except to spend Ling's immortality forced through a flow that wasn't theirs.

It hurt. It hurt like acid eating me from the inside out. Was that how they felt, or was that how Ling felt? Or was it just how it felt to touch them? I wanted to stop touching them.

I thought about Uncle Ed and Maes and pressed my hands down harder to keep myself from lifting them.

I felt Ling's Philosopher's Stone fold over me, smothering me like warm blankets being layered over my face. I gasped as I fell through the souls, latching to one for only a split moment before latching to another as I fought to find one that would help me breathe. My head hurt like my hair was being torn out of my scalp. They begged for mercy. I couldn't give it to them. Thousands of individual souls forced to flow to the same beat like being dragged by their ankles through a sea of rusty nails.

With a choked breath I meshed my life-force with the rhythm of their mangled current.

My eyes opened big.

"Nina?" said Maes. I felt him. He was holding me up kneeling on the floor still. He was looking at me. His eyes were wide and panicked.

I felt Ling's bare stomach slip from under the backs of my fingers where my hand had lingered. He sat up looking dang worried himself. His body was crackling electric red all over, healing the deep scratches and the handprint-shaped red marks over his chest and tummy. My hand fell off him with a thud onto the floor.

"Nina, can you hear me?" It was Uncle Al's voice this time, but he wasn't in my line of sight.

Maes shook me. "Nina, breathe!"

I choked a little on an inhale. Guess I'd forgotten to do that for a while. It was almost painful. But nothing compared to…

I jerked out of Maes's arms. I wasn't ready for the movement and rocked too hard forward, ending up on my hands and knees. I heard my name in different voices. I chewed my lip so hard I could taste blood. I caught Ling's pale squinty face out of the corner of my eye and swung my hand back as hard as I could to get him good across the face. The red flashes of regeneration weren't fast enough to keep his nose from bleeding before it healed itself.

"Son of a bitch!" I said.

Maes got me again, this time holding me a little more firm. I remembered what he'd said earlier about breathing and forced an inhale. I couldn't look at him. I pulled away.

"It can't be done." I trembled. "Your dad's going to die."


	54. Chapter 54: Coping with 'Over'

Author's Note: Hark! Long Chapter!

Hawkstang: Haha, yeah I'd say Nina wasn't too wild about it ;)

verry-chan: Why, thank you! Writing about the inside of a Philosopher's Stone took some imagination.

Illovebooks: Poor Nina did her best *lip trembles pathetically*

pitstop96: Aw! It made you wanna cry? Well, it looks like my work here is done :)

KTrevo: Nina should find a way to harness Ed's stubbornness into a custom, will-powered Philosopher's Stone. Problem solved.

SavFFLover: 40hr famine? Charity, right? Good for you! I'm underweight, so I can't participate in all that kind of fundraising stuff *runs off due to shame*

mixmax300: Ling in a couple hundred years with his 'new' mom, "Yeah, well my 43rd mom never gave me a bedtime."

AlchemistLeigh95: Thanks bunches! Maes rocks his serious side like no one's business :D

Harryswoman: Haha! I like the part about Ling making himself fat. If he got liposuction, would his pudge regenerate?

PhantomhiveHost: Y'know, I'm starting to get this subtle vibe that you readers don't want me to kill off Ed...

MYcookies: Olivier is an acquired taste. Deep down, she's as soft as Alex. I love her. She has such scary convictions.

otakgirlyy: Exams are dumb. Everyone should purposely fail them one semester and see what the system does. Unite!

* * *

Chapter 54: Coping with 'Over'

I got woken up by my own damn voice for the third time that night. Probably wouldn't be the last time. I opened my eyes in the pitch black mid-nightmare. My scream tapered off. I felt his hand on my face.

"Do you want the lights on?" Maes asked softly.

I shook my head. He probably couldn't see the gesture too great in the dark, but he could feel it. I could hear his chair creak as he leaned forward in it. His fingers pushed my sweaty hair away from my face. I sniffed.

"The Philosopher's Stone again?" he asked.

I nodded. My eyes still didn't close.

"Do you need me to—"

"Just stop talking," I said. My voice came out kind of scratchy like I'd been crying. I didn't remember crying. My face felt like I'd been crying.

Maes's hand came off my forehead. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness good enough and I could see his dark figure leaning back into his chair. I rolled over so my back was to him in case I started crying again. Not too wild about crying.

"Go to bed," I said for what seemed like the zillionth time that night. "I just told you there's no hope for your dad, right? Quit taking care of me. I have bad dreams every night."

"Not like this," he said, dodging the 'dad dying' part of what I'd said.

"Go away."

"Nina, I didn't mean to…" He couldn't say it. All night he'd been trying to say he was sorry and I knew it full well. I didn't want him to say he was sorry. I was the one who'd screwed him over. What the hell did I have the right to complain about?

"Go away," I said. My voice felt a little breakable.

"I don't think I can."

"You're weak as hell. You need sleep."

"I can fall asleep sitting up."

"Go to bed."

"I can't." He was breathing kind of irregular like he was really upset about something. "Nina, I didn't realize…" He stopped again. He sighed sort of shaky. "I had no idea it would do this to you."

"Shush," I said. "It's no big deal."

"Nina, I don't think I wanted to see the risks. I think I overlooked them on purpose because I wanted to get my dad better so badly. Could you get mad at me?"

I huddled in my covers. "I said it's no big deal."

"But I made you…"

"Nope, did it to myself." I wriggled quietly in my sheets. "You make up all this dumb stuff in your head."

He was quiet.

"It's over, Maes. Your dad's as good as dead. Go cry with your uncle."

Maes took a sharp breath. I felt bad for making him breathe that sharp. I'd actually meant that to sound considerate. Uncle Al had offered to let Maes stay with him through the night after the news, but Maes had insisted I couldn't be alone with the Philosopher's Stone still fresh on my brain. And of course he had felt obligated to be the one to keep me company all freaking night.

"I don't want to," said Maes real quiet. "I don't want to go."

I buried my face in an armful of covers in case I let out any sobs. "Dammit, Maes!" It came out muffled, but you could still hear the breaks in my voice. "Go away!"

Another sharp breath. A chair creaking. Footsteps. Door opening. Door closing.

I was alone. I let my body quake and I cried like a freaking baby.

The fourth and final time I woke myself up screaming was pretty close to the sun coming up. I got really peeved once I'd caught my breath, because I realized I'd been thrashing around so much that the wad of handkerchief I'd stuffed in my mouth to block the noise coming out of my throat had gotten loose and fallen out onto my pillow.

I smacked my hand flat on my forehead and raked my fingers through my hair, breathing in deep through my nose. A headache pounded inside my skull. Probably from screaming so freaking hard. Or crying, I figured. My eyes were raw like I'd done a lot of that.

Or maybe it was all the screaming and crying in my head, thousands of tormented voices shrieking, beating at the walls of my skull, trying to free themselves. I sat up quick and clutched my head. My body was shaking too hard and I didn't like it.

No, it wasn't that. That was a dream. I was awake. It was over. Those souls were Ling's.

I kept my hands holding my head and curled forward with my forehead pressing my knees. It bit down on my lip and winced, reminded by the very sudden sting that I'd split it the night before from chewing on it too aggressively. I sucked it. The spasms in my muscles slowly tapered.

"Mom?" I guessed I just wanted to hear myself say it. "Mommy?"

I could see some before-dawn glow coming off the sky through the cracks in my curtains. I checked the time. Six in the morning. Just like home.

My heart skipped. I was going home. I found myself not smiling at all. I missed my parents. I wanted my mom and I needed a serious Daddy-hug, but I couldn't bring myself to be relieved to go back.

They'd be there when I needed them. My dad was the Fuhrer. He wasn't setting off anywhere I couldn't find him. My parents would always be there for me to go back to.

But Maes's dad was going to die. That's what he was going home to. And I couldn't help him.

I'd been able to join the flow of Lings life-force for what Uncle Al told me had been about twenty minutes. I'd seemed okay to everyone in the room until the last three minutes when I'd started sobbing uncontrollably, apparently. That's where those scratches and pink handprints on Ling's body had come from. They'd tried to yank me off but I wouldn't budge. Put up a decent fight, Uncle Al told me.

And for what? The findings were the worst there could've been, completely cut off every alternative I'd thought of. For one, this whole time we'd been operating off the possibility that an individual life-force could be distributed among multiple people. In other words, a person could be split from part of their life force and then another person could receive it without their body rejecting it. Life-forces could be 'shared.'

That turned out to be complete bull.

A person could redistribute his own life-force within himself like Uncle Ed had apparently done after getting impaled, but that was redistributing, pushing things around. Actually taking part of a life-force out of a person successfully was completely harder; more complicated than the concept of the Philosopher's Stone by far, as it turned out.

There was the other problem. I'd been convinced that a Philosopher's Stone was the prime example of dividing and distributing souls. That was a complete and total lie. Actually, it happened that Philosopher's Stones were really just a cheap short-cut. They couldn't distribute an individual life-force to multiple parties. That's why they were made up of so many different souls to begin with. The souls had to be transferred as wholes. They remained individual even as they were used up.

That put up the question, 'How the hell did Sophie do it to Maes the first time?' And that's where it got confusing for everyone else. The thing to remember was, Sophie had said her dad's original intent had been to transfer part of his core life-force into Maes, but instead he'd ended up giving Maes the section of life-force he'd already used to keep his insides healed after being impaled.

Sophie had told me it was a mess-up on her part, but it turned out she'd done the best thing any alchemist could have done, me included; really actually impressive. Uncle Ed's life-force couldn't have been divided between him and Maes. It wasn't possible. Maes should have died.

But somewhere during the transmutation, Sophie had somehow accidentally stumbled across a part of Uncle Ed's life-force that had already been severed by the Gate when Ed had used it to heal himself. All that was left for Sophie to do was convert Uncle Ed's patched up tummy into an already sectioned-off piece of life-force and transfer that into Maes. I guessed his body accepting Uncle Ed's life-force so successfully had something to do with the fact that they were related and Maes's own life-force had come partially from Ed's.

So, in all actuality, all Sophie had really done was basic equivalent exchange. It was pretty darn miraculous she'd even pulled it off. It was a damn weird transmutation. But it'd worked. Kind of a one-time happy accident. It couldn't happen again, not even if Uncle Ed had let Maes try. The partial amount of life-force taken from Uncle Ed had been accepted into Maes's own life-force. It was fused and could not be separated.

So, there was nothing to be done and absolutely no take-backs. What were the odds?

In the end, it all boiled down to it not mattering how great at manipulating life-forces I was. Unless I could figure out a way to distribute one between two people, I was useless. From how bad Uncle Ed had gotten, his life-force was too fragile to heal itself, even if he'd had his alchemy to do it, even if I'd had the confidence to use my alchemy to manipulate his life-force for him. He could die in a month, right? A month's worth out of his lifespan wouldn't even put a dent on healing him and he'd be dead already.

I wondered if Maes had decided to abandon me for a midnight train home. Good for him. I felt the wetness in my eyes. Dammit. I'd wasted enough of his time getting him hopeful. I'd been so damn cocky. I'd really thought I could do it. Maes needed to be with his family right now.

In a month or two I might give him a call to see if he was cool with meeting up again. We'd known each other for a few weeks. No use holding on too tight. I'd been pretty cautious not to get in too deep. So why did it feel like that really hadn't worked at all?

I stood up out of bed. "Dammit!"

I ran to my closet and pulled a silky robe off the hook and tied it over my borrowed nightgown. It felt kind of stupid wearing a night-robe over my nightgown when everything in the closet pretty much resembled some form of a night-robe. At least it was easy to move around in.

I hurried out into the hall and kind of accidentally let my door shut loud behind me. Too bad. Maes was just over one. I went quick, ignoring the staff peering at me from whatever the hell morning-junk they were up to. I wanted to knock my own lights out, but I had somewhere to be and I was late and I couldn't really skip it for being unconscious.

I tried not to sound like I was completely panting as I stood in front of his door.

"Maes?" Yeah, I did sound breathless. I took a deep breath and let it out, normalizing. I tapped his door real gentle with my knuckles. I didn't know why I was being so damn quiet now. I'd practically slammed my own door behind me on the way over. "You in there?"

I waited. Nothing. I felt my teeth running over my lip and pursed my mouth to make them stop. I raised my hand and rapped the door again. It unlatched with a click and pulled away from my knuckles mid-knock. Maes looked through. He'd opened it to about a four inch gap, plenty of a gap to see how raw and bloodshot his eyes were around the gold. I gulped. Weird seeing evidence that Maes Elric had been crying.

He had his gaze slightly off of me like his sad excuse for partial eye-contact. He opened his mouth but his voice stalled a moment before he actually spoke out of it. "I heard you screaming a minute ago. You okay?"

I felt myself flushing and it wasn't actually because he'd caught me nightmaring. I really couldn't care less. I hadn't even bothered to strip the band-aids off before coming over to him. I was flushing because I hadn't really expected him to still be worrying about me. I should have, but I hadn't. I thought he'd be ticked at me by now.

"I went and broke that promise," I said. "I said I'd keep you company when you got the news."

Actually, I'd only told Maes I'd keep him company if we got the news his dad was dead. Last night had really only been more of a 'fixed expiration date' announcement. But, all in all, they were kind of the same thing.

Maes kept his eyes down. "You got hurt."

He was referring to the incident with Ling's Philosopher's Stone. I didn't want to talk about that. He said it like me getting rattled by the Stone justified me backing out on him.

"It's not that big a deal," I lied. Maes flinched like it was painful to hear me say that. Judging by the look on his face, he was still hating himself over it. He hated that I wouldn't blame him.

I pushed the door open and let myself in past the door way so he was within range. It closed behind me. Maes looked kind of a little ashamed of himself, brushing his face off discreetly like I hadn't already figured out he'd been crying. He stepped back and I stepped forward. I tried to glower. I wasn't used to having to think about it just to glower.

I cleared my throat and tried to sound bitter. "Meanie!"

Maes looked confused, mostly just out of it. I stepped forward again and took a breath. I closed my eyes for a sec wondering how hard I should do it. I decided he wouldn't be satisfied unless it hurt him. I opened my eyes and smacked his face with a decent follow-through. It made my hand really hurt smacking him that hard. I shook it out. Made Maes swerve on his feet. Poor baby looked even less steady than he had when we'd said goodnight.

"Dumb meanie!" I said, fixing my fists on my hips. "Sure I was the one with the bright idea to come here in the first place. And yeah, maybe I did insist on exploring the Philosopher's Stone even though I'd read all over the place that it wasn't the safest life-force out there. You might've told me not to take risks with me being a really new alchemist. You might've given me plenty of permission to back out before things got too dicey, but by golly Maes! I think this is somehow all your fault anyway. I think you should have psychically foreseen the exact outcome of my decision to analyze the Stone and warned me in advance of all possible repercussions. In fact, you should've written me a decent contract outlining the details and risks of our arrangement before you even sought out my help in the first place. I'm sorry, Maes, but I am mad as hell at you right now. You are one big meanie. One big freaking meanie."

Maes stared at me with a semi-blank face. He kind of absent-mindedly touched his cheek where I'd gotten him. He winced and took his fingers away. Apparently it stung.

"Sorry," I said. I shrugged. "I was going for authenticity."

For a second I wasn't sure what was going on with Maes, but then he smiled really faint with those eyes of his. That lasted about three and a half seconds before his mouth opened enough for him to take a quick breath and his expression crinkled a little, mostly around the eyes. "Could you please not make me go away again?" he asked, sort of begged. His voice was way shaky. I felt like a terrible person.

"Sure," I said with a feeble smile.

He nodded. I caught a tear blink off his lashes. Well, he'd seen me cry. We were even.

"Can I give you a hug?" I said.

Maes nodded. I put my arms out and he basically walked into them. It didn't take long before his whole body was quaking silently against me. It was amazing how quiet the guy could sob. Of course, this was the guy with the excruciating automail—keeping quiet through pain was sort of his specialty.

"Sorry," I said against his shoulder. Oh, dang. My voice was sounding a little weaker than I wanted. "Shouldn't have kicked you out last night. Thought you didn't actually want to be with me but you just hadn't realized it yet, you know? Figured you'd do better with your uncle or…not me. I'm a doofus. I'm not going to leave you again."

His voice broke audibly like a tiny cough, but quieted immediately after and went straight back into his silent, trembling sobs. I could kind of tell my hair was a mess just by how it felt when Maes's hand petted the back of my head. Ugh. Like stroking a cat the wrong way in a million different directions. Maes really must've been into me to have seen me first thing out of bed so many times and never shuddered at my presence. Of course, in his eyes, my version of 'bedhead' was beautiful.

I rested my cheek on his soft shirt. "I love you," I said softly.

And instantly regretted it.

All over I was hot, especially my face. My face was on fire. I swallowed and choked on my own spit. Maes let me go a little to give me air or something. I coughed a couple times. I kept my eyes off Maes. I rubbed my hand over my face. "Shit."

Maes still had a gentle hold on me. I chanced looking up at him. He wasn't trying to smile. That was good. I really hated it when he tried to make himself look happy for the sake of other people. I was glad he didn't do that with me anymore.

"I'm sorry," I said. Sorry about a lot of things.

Maes fingered the messy layers that dangled around my face and swept them back like he was pulling away a curtain. He took a shaky breath. "I love you, too."

He closed his arms around me and hunched to bury his face in my hair. I rubbed his back in smooth circles. He was feeling a little wobbly against me, but he didn't seem too interested in sitting down, so I didn't push it.

Holding him like this, I realized what a stupid idea it had been to tell him we couldn't be a thing until the problem with Uncle Ed was done. I'd thought it would keep us from getting our feelings twisted up and getting hurt. I hadn't really taken into account how the tradeoff would look like if things didn't turn out well. Lose a Dad, gain a Nina. I felt like Maes was getting the short end of the bargain on this. On everything.

Maes tightened his arms around me real soft. I realized he was holding me like he didn't have anything else to hold onto. My arms clung to him sort of mutual.

"I'm here, Maes," I said. And that was all I had to offer.


	55. Chapter 55: Consequences of a Favor

Author's Note: I keep getting reviews about how people plan to hunt me/Nina/etc. down and do something horrible to us if something bad happens to Maes/Ed. It's great! You guys are getting so enthralled :P

KTrevo: Oh yes, and then several (hundred) willing to take her place in his life ;)

mimmax300: You can't describe how you feel? I created an undefined emotion? YES!

pitstop96: See, I'm not a big crier, so I get really honored when people talk about my stuff bringing them to tears :D

Hawkstang: I think your dad might've gotten confused the last time he read the instruction manual for rationality :(

AlchemistLeigh95: Haha, you're welcome! My sis is graduating tomorrow :D

Jessi-Anne: Aww, thanks! That made me happy to read. Writing's the funnest thing ever!

PhantomhiveHost: Omgsh! Poor thing. My posts always send you running off to hide and cry :P

Ginger Kaga: So glad you liked Babysitting the Boss Guy. Sort of rough, but it's my baby :) About Roy becoming Fuhrer, the end of BBG kind of alluded to Grumman really pushing for Roy to succeed him and then Flame Legacy begins with Nina's short explanation on how Grumman married an old gf and retired and Roy took his place as Fuhrer. the rest is creative liberties, really ;) ...AND I will be on the lookout for your email.

otakgirlyy: You sleep with Ed every night? *Sorry, I couldn't help myself* Haha! Awesome accessories :D

verry-chan: You can't appreciate happy until you've felt some sad :S

SakuraHarunaFan: Yeah, my characters' lives tend to suck.

Takara Rose Oizumi: I do love sweet :D

MYcookies: Naes Cornstang :)

SavFFLover: Something special about creating characters w/ hope and then knocking them down at the worst timing.

* * *

Chapter 55: Consequences of a Favor

I didn't get it out of him until I'd been there for almost an hour. He hadn't slept once the whole night. He said he'd already tried sleeping. I told him he didn't have to sleep. I just wanted him to lie down. He got in bed and nodded off before it had even been five minutes. No joke. I watched the clock.

I sat on the ground, leaned back against the cool wallpaper, and listened to Maes breathe. Deep, long. The most peaceful sounds I'd heard out of him since I'd told him his dad was going to die. I tilted my chin up and closed my eyes. I felt the wet beads of warmth roll down my cheeks. They trickled under my chin. They had gone cool by the time they made it down my neck. I rested the back of my head heavy on the wall and just kept my eyes closed for a while.

Damn it.

Wherever the heck Uncle Al was, he hadn't come to check on Maes at all so far. Maes told me Uncle Al had a lot of calls to make with the bed news and all. He was probably really missing Mei and the kids right about now.

I'd asked Maes if he was going to call his dad. Maes replied, "No," and that was all that was said about that.

I didn't even know what I was going to do about my parents. I knew they hadn't exactly expected me to stay away as long as I had so far, but they seemed to be tolerating it well enough for now. I wasn't sure how well they would take it if it came up on a month and I still wasn't back. I had a feeling Maes was going to need me on hand a lot longer than that with the turn things had taken.

I gave a little thought to taking up residence in Resembool for the rest of the semester.

There was a knock on the door. Uncle Al? About time. Maes didn't stir at all. He had a lot of stuff to sleep off. I stood and walked pretty quiet over. I opened the door carefully, watching Maes over my shoulder. Didn't want Uncle Al talking through to me really loud right off the bat.

But it really wasn't Uncle Al at all.

Ling peered at me with those squinty eyes of his, standing up too straight like he was concentrating on looking alright. I knew for a fact he'd been crying too from what I'd seen after I'd told everyone the news, but he didn't show any signs. The homunculus in him must've erased any red nose or puffy eyes he might've had if he'd been human. Well, a normal human.

"Maes is finally asleep," I whispered. "If you wake him up, I'll rip out your Philosopher's Stone and feed it to my dog when I get home."

Ling nodded. "Understood."

"What do you want?"

"I need to…" He stopped. He was looking way uncomfortable and brooding.

I folded my arms. "You're overthinking something. I know the signs"

Ling looked down and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I actually have a lot to take care of today. I just needed to talk about something. Can I have five minutes?"

I planted my stance in the doorway. "He's asleep."

"I meant with you."

I stared at him pretty skeptical. He stared back at me like he seriously wasn't one to be stared down. Duh. Emperor of a country. I looked over my shoulder at a sleeping Maes. I stepped out into the hall with Ling and shut the door so it was only open a crack.

"Where's Lan Fan?" I asked.

"Busy."

"What do you need to talk about?" If he was going to apologize for his damn life-force again, I was going to have to hurt him.

He was looking fidgety. His feet kept twitching and shuffling in place in real small movements. He was anxious as heck. "It's about my Philosopher's Stone."

I groaned. "If one more person tries to apologize for what that damn Stone did to me last night, so help me, I will—"

"No," he said. "That's not what I was going to say."

I felt stupid. "Oh."

"There were some things you said last night after you experienced my life-force."

"I said plenty of things." Some of them not so lady-like.

Ling folded his arms holding his elbows. "You said the Philosopher's Stone was no help because you were looking to transfer a partial life-force into Ed."

"Yeah."

"But you could transfer whole souls individually."

I leaned on one leg. "Kind of the point."

Ling took a breath at that. "So, you could transfer some of my souls into another person?"

I raised my brow. "Like, split your Philosopher's Stone? Uncle Ed's not letting you put that in him. Never."

"Not for him."

"Not for him?"

His eyes opened a little wider and looked at me pretty much urgent. "For Lan Fan."

I was kind of speechless. I shouldn't have been. I should've seen that coming. But it threw me off all the same.

"Lan Fan?" I said. "You want to share your Stone with Lan Fan?"

"Is it possible?"

"Sure," I said. "But I'm guessing you want her immortal like you, right? That's donating a lot of souls to the cause, Ling. The limits on your regenerative abilities would probably double."

"I'm aware of that," he said. "The purpose of the Stone was immortality, not invincibility. Lan Fan and myself both are capable of taking care of ourselves without any Stone to heal us."

Yeah, except when me or Maes lose our tempers at you.

"I know that you are the only known person who could accomplish a transmutation like that," said Ling. He'd gotten kind of subdued. "I'm also very aware that handling my life-force is something you'd rather avoid in the future."

"Yes." I wasn't going to lie.

"I'm going to ask a favor of you," he said.

I braced myself. The way he said it just sounded like impending doom. "Okay."

"Someday," he said, "before Lan Fan's body and mind have aged past help, I'd like you to come back to Xing."

I flinched a little at the prospect, because I knew full well was he was getting at. "To transmute part of your Stone into her?"

He nodded with his eyes stubborn and set on me. Damn.

I sucked my lip. "Make her immortal like you."

"If she wants it."

I smiled gentle at him. "She'll want it."

I felt kind of feverish, all clammy with the chills. It took me a moment to realize my body was remembering Ling's life-force, reliving the time I'd spent joined to its flow. I closed my eyes and breathed, but all I saw was blood red rushing under my lids. It clogged my throat and sinuses. I opened my eyes. I bit down on my already split lip. Ling looked a little worried.

"Lan Fan's all you've got," I said. It was a question in its own way. Ling nodded. I smiled. "I'll do it."

Ling flinched like the words gave him chills. "You will?"

"Yeah."

Ling kind of smiled, but I could tell he was fighting not to smile bigger. Cutie. "Thank you. You don't know what this means to me. Anytime in the next thirty years would be fine."

"I'll be back as soon as the Elrics are over the worst of their grief."

Ling's beady little eyes widened so they actually almost looked normal. "That soon? But, last night…"

"Listen," I said, "that darn Stone is going to hurt whether I do it in ten years or if I do it in ten days. Your pal's, like, forty. I'm sure she's got a good lifespan on her, but I highly doubt she'll want to spend the rest of eternity as an immortal old lady." I laughed kind of soft at the idea.

Ling didn't laugh, he just nodded. Then he nodded again and kept nodding. I stopped laughing, feeling awkward. "Ling?"

He stopped nodding. He put his hand over his mouth and shook his head. He spoke through his fingers kind of broken. "Thank you, Nina. You have no idea…" He shook his head. "You just don't."

Oh, my gosh! He was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. "I know. Don't worry about it."

Ling met my eyes and smiled. It was a heavy smile, but he did smile. He smiled for real and held it there just for me. "Al tells me you've been hard on yourself over Ed's fate." He looked away for a second. He looked back at me. "I know how hard it is when you realize you can't save everyone, but you just gave me my life back in a few simple words. That has to count for something."

Damn. For some reason that made my eyes tickle. If I didn't start rapid-blinking, chances were they'd leak down my face. I fought hard not to be obvious, but I could kind of tell by how he started smiling really caring that Ling could totally see me fighting tears.

I sniffed. "Well, duh. Of course it counts for something." I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck in a really warm, really needed, face-to-face hug. This time he actually bothered to put his arms loose around my waist and hug me back.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you so much, Nina."

"You're so welcome." I gave him a parting squeeze.

I guessed neither of us realized Maes was opening the door at first since I'd left it open a crack in case Maes needed me; the latch didn't click or anything when he opened it. But the door came open and he stood there in the doorway, still blotched pink in the face from sniveling all night, and watched me and Ling unfold from our hug.

I turned to him. "You woke up?" Poor thing had hardly slept twenty minutes.

He had his eyes on Ling. Ling was blushing. Didn't shock me. Maes's eyes didn't get that severe too often. It was enough to make anyone go red in the face over. I touched Maes's arm. He looked so darn tense and unrested.

"Was it a nightmare?" I asked gently.

Maes kept his eyes on Ling. "My automail's still sore."

"The pain woke you up?" That was completely sad.

"You said you'd stay," he said all hoarse.

"Ling had to tell me something," I said. "I didn't want to wake you up. I kept the door cracked."

"Remember what we agreed?" Maes looked hard at Ling. He shifted his eyes to me. "No more hugs."

Maes crossed back into his room and shut the door behind him. After a split moment of me meeting Ling's nervous gaze, the door opened again and Maes took my hand and pulled me into his room with him.


	56. Chapter 56: OVA Flame Legacy Acrostic

Authors Note: I am SO thrown off. I was writing last night, then I saw a roach. I'm scared of bugs, but I have a _phobia_ of roaches. Long story short, here I am the afternoon after, posting last night's chapter (an OVA) very late. Expect another post (not an OVA) sooner than later as I try to catch up :)

SavFFLover: Indeed! The plot thickens... *ominous '70s synthesizers*

lizzington95: Gaha! In Nina's defense, Ling was close to tears (of relief). Who can resist cuddling a Ling close to tears?

KTrevo: Still not done smiling, huh? Awesome! Can't stand drama w/o comic relief/hope thrown in here and there :/

Kimmblesrath: Hahaha! Ling as competition. That I'd like to see. She probably knows kids his age she used to babysit :P

alf XXIII: Oh, gosh! That's so sweet :) Haha! Kill you in Ed's place, but only after I finish the story? I'll keep it in mind :P

sillymessycrazy: Aw, you're so welcome! Not to sound cliché, but one reason I write is so other people can enjoy it :) And so I can enjoy it with them :P

MYcookies: Don't worry. I've got a rough map in my head on where this is going. I'm not sure Maes is even capable of rape :S He'd probably make it intimate and beautiful on accident.

PhantomhiveHost: I think Maes needs to eat a barrel of acorns and hibernate for a few weeks. Poor baby needs rest.

Queen of Narnia49: Hm. I guess you'll just have to keep reading. *enjoying omniscient power over plot*

pitstop96: Whoa! Your hint just gave me an idea! Give the Elrics a happy ending? I should consider that! Thanks!

Hawkstang: I'm starting to wonder if I should build a barricade in case you guys hunt me down and make me save Ed. I'm sensing some unrest ;P

Hawke 1234321: Thanks! Maes and Nina don't even feel like OCs to me anymore because they fit in so well with the series :)

mixmax300: This is so much fun! I keep getting all these threats over Ed and happy endings. My writing must be doing its job ;P

verry-chan: When Maes said "...said no more hugs..." Ling was probably like, wtf? Since when?

Illovebooks: Glad to hear it...read it?

otakgirlyy: Nina was enrolled in art school, kind of taking blow-off classes while she stuck around Central for her dad. She had only just started fall semester when she met Maes (I mentioned it early early). She's able to be absent so long because she really didn't give a darn about art as a career and just ditched. Hope that answers you questions :)

**Today's chapter**: is one of those acrostic poems where the characters' names are written vertically and then verses are based on the first letter (look it up on google if you don't know what I'm taking about). Anyway, the way I've done it is made a long exchange of acrostic dialogue between some of the characters in Flame Legacy. You get to determine who's speaking (if it isn't already obvious) by which name is used as the acrostic for that piece of dialogue. The last bit isn't acrostic; just a fun way of tying it up.

* * *

Chapter 56: Flame Legacy in Acrostic Puzzle

"Never in a million years did I more or less

Intend on falling for this sexy weirdo,

Not that I really actually thought it could be avoided from the start.

Anyway, I blame it on the 'Maes effect.'"

"'Maes effect?' So, you're telling me that

All you put me through this past month—your drawn-out, palms to my shirtless body

'Examination' of my 'automail', wearing that tight red bikini for the Lake, your

Seductive morning bedhead—wasn't even 'intended' to get my attention?"

"Shouldn't act so surprised, big bro. If there's

One thing I know about guys, it's that their attention is

Pretty easy to get. Nina isn't the sort of girl who

Has to try to get guys' attention.

If she started trying, I'm not certain you'd be able to take it.

Enjoy her natural inborn charm as it is and count your blessings she's a fair player."

"Really? So this delinquent who kidnapped my daughter is a 'player?' Careful, Fullmetal Jr.

One day I'll find you, and when that day comes I will make sure

You never again are a 'player' at so much as monopoly! And then I'll burn you alive."

"Every time you open your mouth, Colonel, a hundred and twenty cens gets

Donated to the Amestrian Foundation of the 'Dumbass Bastard' Effect.

Will you shut up about my kid and just concentrate on yours? She just ran

Away to Xing to master the alchemy behind manipulating human life-forces

Right after I specifically forbade her to do so. Your Nina

Doesn't have half the character my kids do."

"Actually, Brother, wasn't Maes the one who persuaded Nina to

Leave for Xing against your wishes in the first

Place? And Sophie has had a naval piercing for over three months and still

Hasn't told you or Winry about it.

On the whole, your kids aren't any better than

Nina. Really, Brother. You know how hard it is having your daughter grow up.

So, maybe you should give Mustang a break. It's not like you

Ever bothered to tell him the reason Maes had to kidnap his only daughter."

"Remind me, Ed. What reason didn't you tell my husband? He and

I didn't trust you with military secrets even after your retirement just so you could keep a

Zipped-lip when you had something to hide. I could shoot you! After

All we've done to earn your trust, you steal our baby girl and won't even tell us the reason?"

"Why don't you Mustangs just mind your own business?

If you hadn't taken Ed off to your military,

None of this would be happening

Right now. Try trusting us one more time and believe that if Ed never told

You, he had his reasons for it. His whole life was a secret to me before he retired, and I'm his wife!"

"Let me just say, as great as

I am as participating in angsty dialogue, as the Emperor of Xing, I really do

Need food. I want to help you, Ed, but I think I'm

Going to pass out from hunger. Should I start a tab under your name?"

"Maybe you should pay for your own food one of these days,

Emperor. You went through the trouble of beating my clan for the throne.

It's just greedy having your friend treat you to dinner when you could buy the restaurant."

"Listen, Princess Chang, you will address the Emperor with respect. What's your problem?

Are you really still sulking over losing to the Yaos after all these years? You were just

Never good enough, so accept it. The Changs are dummies. And my Grandfather

Fu told me you fight like a girl. Your cat is scary and way too old to still be alive.

And you have silly hair.

No, I'm not bitter just because you actually got to marry Al instead of being his mom."

"Nina here. Again.

I've

Noticed that people with longer names get to speak

A lot more than me."

"Maybe you should make better use of your acrostic-space. On the 'I,' you put

A three-letter word. Kind of pathetic, Nina. Follow my

Example. I'm better at this than you. Just mimic my technique and you

Should be good as gold! Not as good as me, but good for your standards."

"Neutral tones in clothing is overrated, so I wear stuff that's ugly as hell so

I blind children and scare small domesticated animals when I walk by. Also, I

Never wait more than half an hour before I start eating again after I puke,

And I always make an effort to eat the greasiest, nastiest junk available at the time."

"Marvelous, Nina! You nailed it! That sounds just like you! Wow, you did almost as well

As I do. But you forgot to mention your bad grammar when speaking and your

Excessive lip-sucking. Oh, and your aversion to corn. I have a problem with your

Subtle aversion to corn."

"Wow, Fullmetal. It's almost like what it would be like if we were a couple."

"I can't believe you just said that, Colonel."

"Yeah, me neither."

"You'd be the woman in the relationship."

"Hell no!"

"Roybecca."

"Forget Maes. I'm killing you first!"

"Domestic violence!"

"Eat fire, Edwina!"

"Quick, Winry, get the hose!"

Maes: "We should play house like that sometime, Nina!"

Nina: "I get to be Roybecca."

The End ;)


	57. Chapter 57: Maes and Nina Time

Author's Note: Threatening me with my roach phobia? Harsh. Kind of cool you're really that emotionally invested in this story, haha!

KTrevo: After you killed me, you readers would band together and hijack my account, inserting platoons of alternate endings.

AuthorChick96: Irrationally excited? That's what I like to hear!

Hawkstang: I scream, cry, hyperventilate, curl in a ball and rock back and forth for an hour(s). Then I *college* sleep with my parents for the night. I'd leave those kids to die in the classroom and run from the roach to save myself. Phobia.

mixmax300: Haha, yeah, but my daily updates have put my chapter-count at fifty seven already! That's excessive.

pitstop96: I think RoybeccaxEdwina would be a beautiful fic. Set in the Victorian era of hoop-skirts!

MYcookies: If I were Maes, I might get fed up with not being able to do anything wrong :P

Illovebooks: Well...this chapter kind of elaborates on why...

otakgirlyy: Ha! You're so right! And don't even worry about spelling. For every name/place original to the series, I google the spelling. There are so many variations for each character/place, I just choose one and call it good. Spelling's a bitch with FMA.

Queen of Narnia49: Someone, someday, will name their child Roybecca. If they haven't already :O

DanniMaeAnime92: Wow! That's awesome! It's the best to be addicted to a book. Nothing like it. Glad my fic does that for you :)

* * *

Chapter 57: Maes and Nina Time

"Something wrong?" I asked. I winced. Dumb question.

Maes wasn't fazed. "What were you and Ling talking about in the hall?"

Uncle Al had had taken the passenger's seat of the taxi to help the driver drive us to his home in the Chang district. He'd dozed off about half an hour ago and this had to be the fourth or fifth time Maes had asked me about me and Ling's conversation since. It was like I'd answer and then he'd forget and ask again after five minutes.

"Just apologizing for what happened last night with his Philosopher's Stone," I lied. Again.

Maes still didn't like my answer. "You get mad at me when I try to apologize."

"That's because you know me," I said. "You know better. Uncle Ling doesn't know squat. It's just formality forgiving people for stuff that's not their fault. I like not having to do that crap with you, but I can start if you need me to."

"Are hugs included in your definition of 'formality'?"

I sighed. "He was on the edge of tears, Maes. He's a kid."

"Doesn't mean he's incapable of feeling boobs pressed against his chest."

"Actually, I'm pretty darn short. Not so sure my boobs reached chest-level on him. Well, lower chest, maybe."

Maes sank in his seat. Was he sulking? Holy crap! He was amazing.

"Sorry," I said. "That was a crappy thing to say. I guess I just don't know my own strength, you know? I mean, I'm a girl, so I've got it easy compared to you dudes as far as that kind of thing is concerned. It's not like I don't notice a good looking body when I see it, but yours is the only one I've ever wanted to…" I turned the rest of that sentence into an awkward cough. "I'm going to shut the hell up."

It was the first time I'd ever seen Maes try to stay ticked at someone; he narrowed his eyes on purpose and fought to keep his mouth in a tight frown. Dang, poor baby. It was useless. This was Maes. His mouth snapped into a smile like a broken rubber-band. "What have you wanted to do?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Aw, come on!"

"I forget." My face was hot like nothing else.

Maes folded his arms. "You want me to forgive you for going back on our deal on hugs? Tell me what you've wanted to do to me."

"Sicko."

"Whoa! That bad?"

I had to have been pinker than a freaking raspberry. "Why do you care?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"Leave me alone." I was sort of begging.

"But I'm curious," he said with a sweet smile, shockingly innocent for this subject. "You never show me your perverted side, Nina."

I sucked my lip. I grabbed a fistful of his gold hair, yanked him down, and started sucking his lips. I spat them out and parted before he could even start sucking on mine. "Still want to hear about my perverted side?"

"Show, don't tell."

Maes broke his own rule and pulled me into a full-body hug. We leaned past our tight seatbelts, joined lips, and kissed on each other's mouths for a little while.

Uncle Al had apparently called Uncle Ed and told him the news and apparently Uncle Ed had said something along the lines of, "And how does that change anything from how it was five minutes ago?" He had a point. I'd gotten Maes's hopes us, not Uncle Ed's. At least there was that.

Maes was pretty much ready to get out of the Palace after catching me hugging the Emperor, so Uncle Al called his wifey and told her to set a couple extra places for lunch. Maes didn't say it, but it was kind of an unspoken thing between the three of us that he wasn't ready to see his dad just yet. He wasn't ready for it to be that real.

Honestly, the hug thing seemed to actually do the trick in a weird way. His irrational jealousy was a good distraction from that loop of hopelessness going around in his head, '…It's my fault. Daddy's going to die. It's my fault. Daddy's going to die. It's my fault…" I was actually fairly certain he knew he was distracting himself. That was why I put up with all his sour attitude for as long as I did. Getting pissed at my conduct kept him sane, apparently.

I didn't like lying to him about what Ling and I had been talking about in the hall, but I definitely couldn't tell him I'd promised to mess with Ling's Philosopher's Stone again. He already seemed more upset than I was about the effects the Stone had had on me the first time. He'd probably kill Ling before he'd let me go near that Stone again; even having gained immortality, Maes would find a way to kill him.

The drive to the Chang district was quite the commute. It was kind of exactly opposite directions from the Palace with the train station as your reference. Uncle Al had said two hours. Maes had looked at his dad's old watch and said that was being optimistic with lunchtime traffic encroaching. Uncle Al was smart. He fell asleep pretty much right after we started driving.

Maes fiddled with my hair, pinching a small section by its ends and twisting it between his thumb and finger like he was spinning yarn. Then he'd let it go and it would bounce back into being mostly straight with a temporary fragile twirl. He was coming back down. He was feeling his dad's loss returning.

I rested my head back against his chest. I could feel his automail poking my head as it breathed for him. Strangely kind of comforting to feel it moving behind my head. "You're like a cat, you know that? The way you toy with my hair."

Maes's body rumbled against me as he laughed, his chest jumping like little hiccups. "A cat? What kind?"

"Um…the kind with whiskers, pointy ears, and a tail."

"Can I be one of those angry-looking cats with the flat faces and cannibalistic eyes?"

"No," I said flatly. "I have no clue what you're talking about, but no."

Maes breathed slow and even, not talking, like he was thinking it through. "Can I be a kitten?"

"Heck yeah!"

"You should feed me a sandwich. Kittens look great eating sandwiches." I could hear sincerity in his voice, oddly enough.

I tapped the arm that he held me with, like I didn't already have his attention. "You've fed a kitten a sandwich before?"

"It was only once," Maes said dreamily. "Then Uncle Al made me stop because he said sandwiches were for people, not for cats. Uncle Al knows a lot about cats."

Interesting. He did come across as a cat person, now that I thought about it.

Maes's body sighed behind me. He hugged his arm more around my waist and chuckled soft. "I don't know, Nina. Traffic's pretty bad. This may take a while. We may just have to follow my uncle's example and try to sleep through it."

I felt my heart pick up pace. "So, is my company not stimulating enough for you?"

Maes laughed hard. "Good God! You think I made out with you out of duty? You're damn stimulating, Nina. I'm just tired."

I bit my lip. "We could do it again."

"Don't tempt me." His body was going a little limp behind me, relaxing into the taxi seat. "I finally calmed myself down."

I bunched my fingers around Maes's silky shirt. "How about we go over the Table of Elements a few times. I think I've got it figured out until it gets to the nonmetals."

Maes laughed again, this time softer. He didn't even reply.

I felt a yawn in my chest. I swallowed it down. My body was kind of running on empty as far as rest was concerned with all the waking up I'd done the night before. The night had been so restless for me I'd pretty much woken up like I'd not exactly slept at all.

My head was feeling more or less heavy, leaned back on Maes and junk like he was my pillow. My eyes almost felt raw around the edges from me keeping them peeled open too long. They kept getting stuck when I'd blink, trying to stay down and closed. I scrunched them hard and opened them wide. I shook my head to shake away some of the sleepy.

Maes breathed a little more tired and a little less awake.

I twisted away from him and grabbed his arms. I shook him, pretty much whiplashed him. "Maes?"

Maes's eyes opened pretty fast. He fought against my jiggling him. "Hey, hold on. I wasn't even all the way asleep yet. I'm awake, Nina!"

Something made my arms keep shaking him just a little longer than necessary. I bit my lip. I could hear my breathing. I hadn't realized it had picked up so much.

Maes looked at me all confused with his brow knit. "Nina?"

He was looking at me like I was looking not so great. The way his gold eyes were focused on me really alert now made me look away.

I bluffed. "Never mind, Maes. You need your rest. You should pretty much just sleep."

"I'm not buying that." He had his hand on my hand. I could feel it. "It's that Stone. You're still afraid to fall asleep."

Was he looking for my pain to distract him from his pain? That worked fine for me.

"Just stick around," I said. "If we stick with each other, we're fine. Am I right?"


	58. Chapter 58: Life-force Full of Surprises

Author's Note: I found a setting on my webcam that makes sparkles follow my face around. So I made my new avatar a legit Armstrong. Oh, yeah. I went there.

very-chan: Ed would be the independent woman dealing with her co-dependent husband. I told my brother someone might name their pet after my character. He said it would be better if you named your first born son after Maes, but he'd settle for your cat. I love my brother :)

SavFFLover: Girls may not have dude-hormones, but we're not dead either. Poor Nina's been so patient with kissing :P

KTrevo: Yeah, they kind of think alike, so they know how to comfort their species as opposed to...everyone else.

pitstop96: Guess what I did yesterday? I made my dad and my brothers giant sandwiches for lunch. Not joking. Mini-hoopskirts? It must be done!

PhantomhiveHost: Perfect couple?! Thanks so much! Putting them through stuff? They couldn't be perfect if they didn't have demons to get over together.

mixmax300: Maes isn't a pervert. He just...appreciates the fact that Nina definitely looks female. Nothing wrong with being 'appreciative.'

Ginger Kaga: Posting fanfics? Your account should have instructions to do so under 'publish' or something. We'll talk via email :)

Hawkstang: Haha, yep! Phobias are irrational fears. Rationally unpleasant stuff doesn't bother me as much :S

Audrey: Aw, thank you! I love that you called it a book. That makes me so pleased :P

Kimbblesrath: Well, at least it's only gone to 'stress kissing' and not 'stress legal-ing' ;D

purpleswans: Poor things are so weird. They've never been held up properly before since no one else understands their junk :P

MYcookies: Everyone to their stations! Naes Cornstang is a go!

Jade Author: Thanks bunches! Writing's my favorite thing, so I've had a lot of practice :)

Illovebooks: I never realized how hard it was for guys until my brother told me all these fun facts about the guy mind. I sympathize with Nina.

**As for the 'roach issue' ...yeah, I wasn't joking when I said phobia. I forgive you, though. It makes me laugh that you guys would go that far for Ed's sake. It's awesome how invested you've gotten into this story!**

* * *

Chapter 58: Life-force is Full of Surprises

Uncle Al made Maes knock. Uncle Al said the girls were going to go for Maes the moment the door opened and he didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. Uncle Al stuck me at the back. Uncle Al said he wanted to get a kiss and a 'Welcome home, dear!' out of his wife before she saw me and passed him up to try to adopt me.

"Should I be afraid?" I asked.

Uncle Al laughed. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Mei just gets excited, that's all."

She sounded like a bouncy little puppy.

Maes turned his hand into a ball and pounded the big carved door with the side of his fist. "Don't worry, Nina. I'll protect you." He looked over his shoulder at me. "Well, I'll try."

I could hear a lock clicking open from inside. The nob twisted and I sucked my lip. The door swung full open, revealing a pretty much tiny little cutie in a bitty green dress standing in the doorway, looking up at Maes with big gold eyes.

Maes sank to one knee to squat right there in front of her. He put his hand on her head and ruffled her black hair. "Hey, Trisha! How goes it?"

She smiled ear to freaking ear, showing off a gummy gap where she'd lost a tooth at the front of her mouth. She turned her head back into the house and yelled in this really squeaky voice, "They're here!"

Holy crap. There was an instant reaction of a bunch of running footsteps coming down the wooden hall. It sounded like a miniature stampede. Trisha bounded up into Maes's arms and clung around his neck absolutely territorial.

"Yeah," I said, smirking at Uncle Al, "that's pretty much how girls work. We like to flaunt what we've got."

"Yes," said Uncle Al. He sighed staring down the hall and ran his hand through his short gold hair all forlorn. "I've noticed that." Was he talking about Aunt Mei or the girlies this time?

"You were supposed to come for my birthday last winter," Trisha was saying as the other two cousins joined her. Two pretty much exact copies of Trisha except wearing different colors.

"Mine too!" said the kid in blue.

"And me," whined the one in purple. "You missed my birthday too, Maes."

"Girls, give him a break." Uncle Al smiled real fond. "You have the same birthday."

"Don't listen to him," Maes whispered. "You guys were born at twenty minute intervals. That's not the same at all."

By now, all three girls had managed to squeeze kind of onto his kneeling lap right there at the doorway, and Maes didn't seem to have a problem with it. Yep, he was definitely a kid-person. I wondered if shy woodland creatures warmed up to him too.

"Where's your mom?" Maes asked. "Did you tell her we were here? I would've thought she'd be the first one to the door."

"Give her time," said Uncle Al. He was smiling like he did, but just a little tense. Was he scared of her or something?

"Alphonse!" Aunt Mei called excitedly from down the hall. Well, now I knew where the girls had gotten their squeaky voices from.

Uncle Al pretty much brightened. He stepped over the heap of Maes and the girls into the entryway and met his wife halfway. She was tiny same as her girls and dang gorgeous with her big dark eyes and inky hair dangling long down her back. But, seriously. Maes looked wide eyed and white like he was experiencing a very intense brain freeze. His auntie was completely preggers. Really preggers.

"Oh, Alphonse," she said all cute and dreamy, "you really had me worried when you said you'd run into trouble at the Palace. Is everything okay?"

Uncle Al put his hands on either side of her pregnant waist and pulled her into a hug. "Everything's fine. I'll tell you all about it later."

Teensy gold-eyed cousins rolled off Maes's lap as he absentmindedly stood. Yeah, I took it he hadn't known about 'cousin number four' either.

"So, you said you were bringing my little nephew?" Mei said, peering over Uncle Al's shoulder. Her big eyes bulged bigger as they caught a good look at Maes. "Or, my not so little nephew."

"My not so little aunt," Maes said. A smile broke across his face. "Nice job, Uncle Al."

Uncle Al smiled like he was going to accept the praise, but Aunt Mei pushed around him. "Nice job, Uncle Al? I'm the one who's doing all the work."

Maes went on up to her and gave her a fearless hug. He smiled at her. "I agree Aunt Mei, but I wasn't talking about that. I think Uncle Al's really brave to risk adding another girl to the house, that's all. 'Nice job' would be an understatement for you, considering you've been this pregnant during Xing's summer weather. I bet it's been pretty miserable for you."

Uncle Al flinched like he equated what Maes had said to him having just stepped right onto a minefield. I did not flinch. I'd learned to see it coming. Aunt Mei smiled.

"Aw, Maes! That's so sweet." She gave him a pat on the arm. "Who knew Edward had the capacity to raise a gentleman?"

Uncle Al puffed out a breath of relief. I was guessing he hadn't seen the 'gentlemanly' charm in Maes commenting on there being a stressful amount of females living in the house.

Maes, on the other hand, got all tight in his shoulders at the mention of 'Edward,' and subconsciously took a half-step back from his aunt. Uncle Al caught the look on Maes's face and got pretty nervous-looking like he was scared Maes was going to lose it again right there in the entryway.

Aunt Mei looked a little derailed. "What is it, Maes?"

"Who's that?" one of the cousins piped up. I looked down. The cousin in purple was pointing her dainty little finger up at me. The other two were looking at me now as well. And, soon, so was Aunt Mei.

I gave an awkward little finger-wave. "Hey there, Elrics."

The kids blinked at me.

"Jun," said Uncle Al really gentle, "it's rude to point."

"Sorry, daddy," said Jun, taking her finger down from pointing. "Who is she?"

Maes turned to the girls with a big honking smile. "That's Nina." He looked at Aunt Mei, too. "Nina's your second guest."

Aunt Mei looked over me looking a little shocked, but not in a bad way. "That's Nina?"

Uncle Al nodded, telling her something with his eyes. "That's Nina."

"Are you a princess?" asked Jun.

"My mom's a princess," said Trisha.

Ming didn't meet my eyes, all cute and shy. "Daddy says we're all princesses on the inside."

I was kind of a little bit flattered. "What, seriously? Something about me actually says 'princess' to you?"

"Nina's not a princess, sillies," said Maes. He stood in front of them with his arms folded. "She's too stubborn to follow 'princess code.' She's an Empress. She does whatever she wants." Which kind of implied he considered me a step above their mom when you put it on paper.

Jun looked at me, looked at Maes, and then looked at me again. She put her little hands on her little hips. She turned to Maes. "Is she your girlfriend?"

I bit down on my lip. I was scared to hear his answer to that. Uncle Al looked a little tense but completely ready for Maes's response. Aunt Mei was smiling like she was exponentially ready for Maes's response. The girls stared at his blank face, waiting.

"Wow," Maes said, "I'd say our conduct would be mutually scandalous if she wasn't my girlfriend." He smiled. "Girlfriend's a confusing word, though. I've had plenty of friends that were girls."

I shrugged. "I'm your 'Nina.'"

Maes grinned at that. "Enough said."

"You're my self-sacrificing dumbass."

Uncle Al let out an unintentional but pretty darn audible laugh before snuffing it out with his hand over his mouth. Maes cracked up like he pretty much loved what I'd said.

I felt a tug on my robe and looked down. Trisha looked at me pretty up-tight. "You said a bad word."

I cocked my head. "Yeah?"

Trisha looked at me at a loss. "You said a bad word."

"Yep."

"You said…the A-S-S word." The other two girls giggled into their sweet little hands.

I felt sort of patronized. "I can spell, kiddo."

Maes chuckled. "It's okay, Trisha. Nina's not a princess like you, so she does all sorts of bad stuff. You'll get used to it."

Oh, so these kids were sheltered. Well, a lot of kids were sheltered compared to my upbringing. I spent a lot of time around my dad's team when I was a kid, and they used expletives like the foundations of all vocabulary. I remembered Mr. Havoc and Mr. Breda talked like sailors around each other. They had a serious way with words. I got in trouble at school and at friends' houses—basically everywhere—for not knowing what the hell was wrong with all the shit I was saying.

Aunt Mei got sort of annoyingly giggly. "Well, get in here, Nina! A year goes by since we've seen our Maes and then he brings a girl over the day he drops by." I got inside and sort of realized she was getting sniffly in that emotional pregnant way. "And look at him. He's taller than Alphonse now! All in one year."

"It's not that impressive, Aunt Mei," said Maes. "I wasn't up on my feet much when you guys visited Resembool last summer. I really haven't grown all that much since then. You just have no way of knowing that."

"Always have a disclaimer somewhere, don't you, Maesy?" Aunt Mei was still sniffly. I felt sort of out of place. "It's a little late for lunch, but I saved back a few plates for you three if you're hungry."

Maes just about drooled. "Sounds perfect!"

"I hope you saved enough for fifty, Aunt Mei," I said. "Maes eats like a fat person."

"It think fifteen plates would've been plenty," said Maes with a frown. "Don't be excessive, Nina. I'm not that much of a pig."

Aunt Mei gazed over at me with glittery black eyes. "Did you just call me your 'Aunt Mei'?"

"What? You prefer Mrs. Elric?"

"Aw!" Dang, she was a squealer. "It's like you're already part of the family."

I felt my face reddening. Maes looked over at me and smiled like he liked the sound of that. I felt myself going redder.

The cousins pretty much dominated Maes while we were eating. Like, I couldn't get within two feet of him. And he could barely eat two mouthfuls before having to answer one of their squeaky little questions. "Will you sleep in my room tonight?" "Want to see Xiao Mei swim in the coy pond when you're done?" "When are you and your Nina going to get married?"

Aunt Mei's cooking was pretty darn fantastic. All it was, really, was a bunch of stringy noodles made out of rice or something and then a bunch of ground up pork all in it, but she must've mixed in some dang delicious junk, because I wolfed that stuff down like I hadn't eaten in weeks.

Aunt Mei sat there and watched me eat with a glowing smile while Uncle Al held her dainty feet in his lap and rubbed her swelled-up ankles. Apparently my ravenous bad manners and the dining table pleased her?

I wiped my mouth and sat back. "Thanks, Aunt Mei. That was freaking amazing. My mom can't cook at all. You Elrics get the job done."

"I can teach you while you're here."

Hm. "You think you could help me figure out how to roast a whole turkey in five seconds with my Fame Alchemy?" By now, I'd realized my abilities were kind of common knowledge with Maes's folks.

"Oh, gosh!" Maes said, suddenly distracted from his conversation with his cousins. "Nina, you're awesome! That's the coolest idea ever. We should try baking cookies. Roasting cookies."

"Popcorn," I said. "We'll do popcorn."

Maes looked kind of touched. "You're the kindest person I've ever known, Nina Mustang."

I laughed. "You don't get out much, do you?"

Aunt Mei turned to Uncle Al and whispered, "Do they do this a lot?"

"Randomly switch to a two-person conversation?" Uncle Al shrugged. "You get used to it."

Apparently I took some getting used to.

Aunt Mei jumped in her skin, which made me jump in my skin. She rested her palm on her round tummy and Uncle Al came on up behind her and touched her tummy with her. Aunt Mei giggled. "I think he's excited."

Maes stood up from his tangle of cousins and walked around me to Aunt Mei. "Is he kicking?"

"He?" I said, skeptical.

Maes let Aunt Mei position his hand on her tummy. He smiled. "Uncle Al's just being optimistic." He met Aunt Mei's eyes, kind of awed. "Does that hurt?"

Aunt Mei shook her head. "It tickles sometimes, but he's not big enough to kick too hard yet."

Maes took his hand off and so did Uncle Al like maybe it was over. I sank a little. I'd pretty much wanted to feel it too. I'd never had a pregnant aunt to put my hand on when her baby kicked.

"So, how did you not know about this?" I asked Maes.

Maes looked at me like I was confused about the obvious. "They never told us."

"Maes and Edward have been too…" Aunt Mei took a glance at her daughters goofing together with the tableware, "under the weather. They haven't been able to visit at all and Alphonse is the only one of us who's visited Resembool within the past year."

I raised my brow. "You really felt that strongly about it being a surprise?"

They were a little silent. Maes looked at me with his eyebrows knit. "Well, they couldn't let my dad find out, Nina. You know that."

Uncle Al met my eyes kind of sad and compassionate like he was well aware that I hadn't known that. "Brother has a hard time dealing with everything he'll be missing out on. We didn't want to tell him about a nephew he might never get to meet, at least, not if he can't make it until then. He loses enough sleep over whether his nieces are going to remember him."

I checked over said nieces. Still playing with the tableware like they were playing dolls. Okay. I got it.

Maes went back to his seat and slumped down. Damn. I'd brought it up, hadn't I? The 'dad dying' thing. Aunt Mei looked at Uncle al with questions in her eyes. He shook his head somberly like he didn't want to talk about it right now. So, how much had he filled her in on via phone call and how much had he waited to talk about until he was in person and she could hold him if he needed her to?

"I guess," said Maes, "it's a good thing you waited to tell him."

He sank more in his seat and looked down at his empty placemat from where the girls had stolen his plate and silverware and junk. I caught Aunt Mei giving Uncle Al another questioning look. Uncle Al stood up and walked over to herd the girls outside to play with 'real toys.' I stood up and repositioned myself next to Maes. He leaned his temple against the side of my arm. He kept his eyes blank and down.

Aunt Mei looked at me. I chewed my lip because I actually kind of just wanted to tell her already. Poor woman had no clue what was going on, so far as I could tell.

"It didn't work," Maes said quietly. "He's going to die, Aunt Mei. I don't know how soon, but soon."

Aunt Mei looked tearful fast, but not the moody pregnant kind this time. "No, Al said it could work. He told me before he left to pick you up from the station. He said it could work."

I bit down on my lip. I'd been the one with the dumb idea in the first place. Maes didn't reply to her.

"You should've said something," said Aunt Mei. "You didn't have to smile all that time for me. I could've taken it."

"Wasn't smiling for you," said Maes. "If I feel my face smiling long enough, I can sometimes fool myself into thinking I'm okay. It's a really good trick. Learned it from Dad. I've been doing it since I was a kid."

Uncle Al came back over to sit right with his wife and let her lean backward into his arms to sniffle. "I wanted to be with you when you found out."

She tilted her head back to look up at him. "Oh, Al. I'm so sorry."

Uncle Al hugged onto her and nuzzled into her hair like a scared little kid. "I missed you, Mei-mei." He didn't say anything else.

It was kind of weird for me, comforting Nephew-Elric while Auntie comforted Uncle-Elric one seat down the table. I felt so…committed.

"Nina," said Maes softly. He took my hand and laced our fingers loosely. "I need to go home."

I squeezed his hand gently. "I know."

"Are you coming with me?"

"Yes."

He nodded his head slow against my arm. "Thank you."

"I'll be there within the next week," said Uncle Al. "I need to make sure Mei and the girls are taken care of while I'm gone."

Aunt Mei straightened kind of worried. "Alphonse, you don't have to…"

Uncle Al shook his head. "I won't be able to relax if I don't have all my bases here covered before I leave."

Maes's grip on my hand tightened. I looked down at him. He was staring forward with this really pale face that looked sort of on the edge. He spoke quietly to just me, "I need to find an empty room with a lock on the door. Now."

"So you can secretly cry and junk?"

He nodded.

"Got you." I looked over at Uncle and Auntie. "Hey, where's the bathroom?"

Aunt Mei blinked like she'd kind of forgotten she was supposed to be playing hostess. She pointed out the door like that meant something. "There's one at the end of the hall."

Maes leaned off me. I looked him. He looked at me and forced his hand to let go of mine.

"You're going alone?" I asked.

He nodded. "Just need a minute." He looked down at our separated hands then looked back at me. "Just need a minute." His voice was a little less than smooth the second time he said it.

I patted his shoulder. "Okay."

He got up and left the room in really hurried strides. Aunt Mei and Uncle Al watched him like they'd expected it to be me leaving. I watched him pretty much wishing I'd gone with him. I wondered how long I should wait before I went to check on him.

"Is he alright?" Aunt Mei asked. "He looked like he was about to cry."

I turned my head and smiled at her all warm. "So, how many months are you?"

Aunt Mei hesitated a little at me changing the subject, but she didn't hesitate too much. I got the sense being pregnant excited her. "We're at six months as of a week and a half ago," she said, smiling back at me.

Jeez, she really kept track to the day. "So you're going to be huge by the end of it."

"Ha," said Aunt Mei dryly. "I was huge with triplets. This? This is not huge."

"I'd say it's pretty darn huge," I said, scanning over her belly. "You think you're having multiples again?"

Uncle Al coughed a little like he was choking. Aunt Mei twitched. "I guess we'll see."

"You don't know?"

"Can't be too sure of anything until they're born," said Uncle Al. "It's just one of those things."

I laughed to myself. "Puts a whole new meaning to 'life is full of surprises,' am I right?"

Aunt Mei lightened up a little and beamed real soft at my choice of words. "I suppose so."

I looked at her stuck-out stomach and sucked my lip. What the hell did it feel like, I wondered, to have some little person getting bigger and bigger and swelling up inside you until you looked like you could bust? I shuddered at the thought. Babies were cute and all, but, thinking about it, their origins were pretty damn scary.

"Is it weird at all," I said, "having something living inside you? I mean, you're never alone."

Aunt Mei giggled. "I wish I had you here longer, Nina. You have so much to learn."

Oh. That was what Uncle Al had been talking about when he'd said Mei would want to adopt me. Wasn't going to lie—kind of glad I wouldn't be sticking around.

"I don't know," I said kind of disgusted. "I'm not so sure it's worth it. I'm starting to think I'll just adopt all my babies. Let someone else do the work like my mom did with me. Nice and tidy."

Uncle Al chuckled. "You're a little young to be worrying about that, kiddo. Making me feel old."

"That's right." Aunt Mei folded her arms on top of her belly. "You want your babies to look like Maes, don't you?"

Uncle Al's eyes got wide, but I could feel mine bulging a billion times wider. "Good God! Does this family have the slightest amount of discretion? If you weren't pregnant, I'd throttle you. No joke."

Aunt Mei looked highly confused. "You don't want your babies to look like Maes?"

"I met Maes less than a month ago, okay? I'm pretty much his 'girlfriend' as of yesterday. Don't talk about babies. Just don't."

Aunt Mei smiled really sweet and calm and folded her hands. "Sorry. I guess it just made me really happy to see him on his feet with a nice girl holding his hand. I never thought he'd have that."

Uncle Al nodded. "He used to say he'd never enter a relationship, because he'd probably die young and it wouldn't be fair to widow the girl after such a short marriage. And he was absolutely adamant about never having kids."

I sucked my lip, not blushing, just a little dazed. "And then I accidentally healed up his automail and he's good to go. That's interesting. Okay, that's sweet and all, but no more fuss over eventual babies. Just no."

"Agreed," Uncle Al said for her.

Aunt Mei smiled at him and looked like she'd say something, but then she made a little gasp and put her hand on her tummy. Uncle Al did the same as last time and came behind her to reach and touch her tummy with her. I sucked my lip and decided I was too chicken after my rant to ask if I could poke it too.

Mei caught my eye. "Come here, Nina." She waved me over. "Come feel the baby kicking."

Well, if you insist. "Yeah, okay."

She put my hand over her warm belly and held it there for me. I jumped in my skin a little at the light thumping movement under my palm. Aunt Mei giggled at me and I realized my mouth had stretched itself into a small smile. I pressed my fingers on the movement, like pure energy pulsing under the walls of Aunt Mei's belly. I breathed it in.

Somehow my other hand made it onto Aunt Mei's tummy. I pressed my fingers gently against the baby's bumping, capturing its rhythm in my mind and feeling mine adapt to match it. It was kind of really breathtaking. I couldn't have imagined a smoother circulation. The life-force was raw, clean. Not a bit of it was tangled or blocked. It flowed at an even beat, completely untainted, protected inside its mommy's body. Protected by its mommy's life-force surrounding it.

The baby's life-force was deep within Aunt Mei's, hidden, separate. I could feel the difference between them, hers being quick and strong, the baby's being a concentrated charge of perfect energy. But they were joined somehow, connected to a bigger kind of flow that carried them as one, sustained them as a whole. The baby's force wasn't exactly drawing from Aunt Mei's force. It was sharing it with her.

I felt Uncle Al's hand on my shoulder. "Nina?"

"Nina?" said Aunt Mei. "The kicking stopped."

"Holy shit!" I opened my eyes and pulled my hands away. "There's no equivalent exchange."

I backed up trying to collect myself. Uncle Al looked at me warily. "What happened?"

I ran my hand over my face. I looked at him and shrugged. I looked at Aunt Mei. "Don't worry. It's just one in there."

"Huh?"

Uncle Al's eyes got big. "Nina?"

I smiled because I just couldn't help it. "I have to talk to Maes. Looks like he's going back to Resembool without me."


	59. Chapter 59: Nina's First Notes

Author's Note: Gah! I got to my grandparents' house last night and went to post this chapter and...NO INTERNET! Oh, well. I figured it out. I'll catch up. More to come.

PhantomhiveHost: I'm digging the 'Barry the Chopper' reference. Always smiling and he's a freaking suit of armor :S

KTrevo: You poor dears. I am never going to tell ;)

mixmax300: Always gotta have a good excuse ready when kids catch you cursing.

pitstop96: There's something freaky but cool about black hair and gold eyes together. Gorgeous.

maana999: Thank you :D Yep, I put my characters through hell. Makes for complexity and room for improvement.

Queen of Narnia49: You can smell plot twists? You are a force to be reckoned with...

Polarized Penmanship: One of my (older) friends had a baby and named her 'Amei,' so we called her 'Mei-mei.' So cute.

Hawkstang: I like pregnant women. They get so emotional and hungry. It's fun! Though they can get pretty irritable...

MYcookies: Aw, Maes crying all alone in the bathroom. Sounds like such an angsty kid :P

SaFFLover: Thanks! I had fun writing about baby/mom's energy(s). Finally a life-force that doesn't hurt cuz it's a mess :P

very-chan: I'm not so sure Roy would want an 'Elric baby' in the family if his daughter was the mother...PS-empty armor equals cat-home.

Firaga Productions: So...you freaking dream this shit? Hm. I wish I could freaking dream this shit. Haha, thanks :)

AlchemistLeigh95: Al's girls *shakes head* Those sweeties have the biggest mouths. Like their mom. Still cute, though :D

* * *

Chapter 59: Nina's First Notes

I tapped my pen on my bottom lip at a steady beat. My hand drifted absently beside me, tracing invisible variations of transmutation circles into the fibers of the carpet. The pad of paper sat open on my crisscrossed lap, waiting for me to put my pen on it. I kept tapping my lip.

"What's she up to?" Aunt Mei said in a whisper. She'd come to spy on me with Uncle Al and Maes at the living room doorway.

"I have no idea," said Maes, quiet and kind of lost. "She said she was staying behind and then she stole a pen and paper from your office and ran in here. Couldn't get a word out of her after that."

"Looks like she's concentrating pretty hard," said Aunt Mei.

"It's been almost an hour," said Uncle Al, "according to Maes."

I heard Maes sigh behind me. "Still hasn't written a single thing down."

"What's she doing to my carpet?" Aunt Mei said kind of edgy.

I took the pen off my lip and scrawled in all caps over the first page. I ripped it out of the notepad, scrunched it in my hand, and threw it over my shoulder at them. I heard rustling as one of them uncrumpled it. Uncle Al snorted. "She says, 'SHUT THE HELL UP!'"

So freaking distracting! I stared at my new blank page. Reminded me a little of the Gate, funny enough, in all its emptiness. I put a little dot in the middle of it. Wasn't quite as intimidating when it wasn't perfect white.

"Maybe we should leave her alone for a while," Uncle Al whispered.

Yeah, no joke.

"Go put your feet up, Aunt Mei," said Maes. "Think I'll stick with Nina a little longer."

An unborn baby, an individual life-force, joint in the same flow as its mother, its carrier, another individual life-force. One and one made all, while all made one and one. All was one and one was all. No sign of equivalent exchange because there was no exchange needed. There was no trading of energy. It was a perfect, unhindered flow. It was shared, not given and taken. The ultimate purpose behind all alchemy was pulsing inside Aunt Mei's tummy. Kind of creepy.

I bit the end of the pen with my front teeth. So how was I supposed to apply that to Uncle Ed?

Ling's souls had proven to me that dividing and transferring an individual life-force into other people was very much not possible, but the life-force Aunt Mei shared with her baby was a whole new concept entirely. Screw donating life-forces! When I figured this one out, Uncle Ed's waning life-force was all I'd need.

I just needed to figure it out.

Throwing out all my old theories and starting from scratch meant literally looking at a blank page. Well, there was that little dot I'd put in the middle, but it was pretty much blank of any kind of idea to go on. I tapped my pen to my lip and traced a rough water manipulation circle into the carpet.

I got up to go to the bathroom around four. Left my paper and pen on the ground and walked past Maes still at the doorway without a word. When I passed him on my way back, I gave him my eyes and said, "You want to draw me up a Periodic Table?"

Maes talked to Uncle Al and Uncle Al grabbed me a book on basic alchemy out of the office. He handed it to me while I sat on the carpet tapping my pen on my lips. I took it, flipped to the Periodic Table of Elements, and drew up a copy of it right onto my blank page with the dot. Maes could've done it without looking if he'd just done what I'd told him. I closed the book and set it next to me. I stared at the table and kept tapping.

After a little while, I racked my brain and circled 'Iron,' then put a question mark beside it. My lips mumbled, but I wasn't paying attention to what they were mumbling. I tapped the back end of my pen on 'Hydrogen,' then drew an arrow from it to 'Oxygen.' I bit the pen. I circled 'Carbon.' I went back to 'Iron' and scribbled a star next to it in the top corner of its square.

"Those trace elements…" I said. "What were they?"

"Trace elements?" said Maes. He stepped up beside me and looked down at what I was working on. He squatted next to me. I watched him from my peripheral as his eyes scanned my work, darting back and forth rapidly like he was reading way fast. He got an amused smile and raised his eyebrows at me. "Human transmutation?"

I shook my head and tapped the page twice with the back of my pen. "Ingredients."

"Ingredients?"

I rolled my eyes. This was dumb. He should've been on a train to Resembool. "Grab your Uncle. You're useless."

He didn't do any such thing. Just stayed next to me, hovering over my shoulder, reading rapid over my doodled-on Periodic Table again. I circled 'Ammonia' and tore the sheet out of the pad before Maes could read over it again. I stuck it face-up next to me for reference.

I flipped the pen in a full circle with my fingers and let out a sigh. Damn. I could literally feel Maes breathing down my neck. I flipped the pen again. I nodded, "Okay." I looked at my incomplete notes sitting beside me, looked at my new sheet of paper, and started scrawling circles, the transmutation circles I'd been tracing in the carpet. I could feel Maes leaning closer to see.

"Nina, what's all this for?" he said quietly.

He was pretty much aching for me to say it, for me to say it was for his dad. That was the only reason he hadn't rushed home yet. I'd made it kind of obvious I was onto something. Maes was just waiting for me to admit it. Well, duh.

"Phosphorous," I said. "That's in the human recipe, am I right?"

"Yes." He sounded not so sure I should know that. Dumb bunny. I'd read every page of notes in his house, practically. Well, every page worth reading. Human transmutation was definitely a theme in Uncle Ed's collection. Maes looked at me with all this concern. "Nina…?"

"Let me see your automail."

"Nina?"

I set the pad and pen down on top of my torn-out Periodic Table. "Come on. Let's go. Take off your shirt."

Maes's eyes bugged pretty shocked. "Take off my…?"

I caught the look in his eye. "Not like that!" I scooted in front of him. "Lift your shirt. I want to see your automail."

Maes seemed a bit uneasy doing it for me. He got a little defensive when it came to his automail, when people got too close and interested. It was like he was so accustomed to being hurt by it that it freaked him out to chance having it roused.

He pulled his shirt up for me so his automail was just visible. The stuff looked like it might've bruised the tissue around where it sank into him, probably from all the storm-sickness and heavy sobbing. I wondered for a sec if it hurt him to give hugs. I leaned closer and peered at the design, watching the claw clench and unclench outside of him. I poked next to where a leg of the metal claw was jammed under his ribs. He winced.

"Easy," he said. "It's still a little sore."

I quit poking. "If you wanted, you could build this stuff out of iron, right?"

"Iron?"

"Can you teach me?" I pointed to his automail. His shirt dropped back on over it. "Automail?"

Maes looked way lost. "You want to be an automail mechanic?"

I stood. "Your Aunt and Uncle have a school for medicinal alchemy."

Maes looked up from where he knelt. "Well, they've been involved with a few of the main campuses…"

I turned for the door. "They can teach me how to use that damn Dragon's Pulse at will."

Maes followed after me. "So, now you want to learn more about alchehestry? I thought you wanted me to teach you automail."

I didn't answer. I headed out of the living room pretty dang on a roll. A little too much of a roll. I couldn't sit still. My head was going everywhere at once. It almost hurt. Kind of like…

Going through the Truth.

I stood still. Was that where all of this was coming from? The Truth? I shivered. Where else could it have come from? How else could I have known all this junk when a guy as good as Maes hadn't even scratched the surface?

I hadn't ever really remembered much of the Gate besides the perfect white, the shadowy black hands, and the scary silhouette of the Gatekeeper. It was completely odd to me that the dull ache in my head from trying to sift through too much information definitely wasn't new. Somehow I'd known it wasn't new. Somehow I'd remembered where I'd felt it before.

"Nina…" said Maes behind me, kind of distant, kind of stunned. I heard my papers rustling in his hands. Meddler had picked them up while I wasn't looking. "Nina, this is amazing."

"Don't say that. Don't get your hopes up again. Not yet."

"Alright." Could practically hear his smile.

I swallowed. Truth or no Truth made no difference. Point was, I knew the stuff so I'd use the stuff. If it worked, it worked, right? This wasn't about the Gate. It wasn't about me. I was on a roll. The Truth was nothing but a tool.

I felt Maes's hand on my shoulder. He walked around next to me and held up my papers with the sketches of made-up circles on top. "These are incredible. Did you think up all of these yourself?"

I shook my head. "Some are just variations. Adjustments on preexisting stuff I've read."

"But mostly 'Nina originals'?"

I nodded. I didn't meet his eyes. I wasn't really fully paying all of my attention to him. That headache. I'd felt it somewhere else. I'd felt it worse.

Maes flipped through my stuff. "So you think you can do it? You think you can transmute my dad some automail organs?"

"No," I said kind of thin. "No, we can't transmute them. We have to build them. We have to use special metal, something simple, like iron, with the human-ingredients fused in. I'll try to join his life-force with the automail like your life-force is joined with your automail. Then I can transmute the human ingredients in the automail into real living tissue. I could use the ingredients to repair all the damage he has from being impaled. I could replace all the scar tissue with new tissue. And then I'll make him cough up all the excess metals like I did with you when I fixed your automail."

"That black stuff that came out of my mouth?" Maes grinned. "Nina Mustang, how the hell were you never an alchemist before now?"

I massaged my temple like a classic headache. "I guess I just have to keep trying to remember the Truth."

Jeez, this wasn't going to be as fun as I'd thought it would be. At least, not for me. I forced a smile at Maes. It could be fun for him, though, couldn't it?


	60. Chapter 60: OVA Naes Cornstang

Author's Note: I noticed most of my milestones (ch 40, 50, now 60, etc) have been OVAs. Hm. Haven't been doing that on purpose.

Juliana Black Lichtler: Oo, gosh! A biology student? I'm intimidated. Allow for plenty of creative liberties, haha. I dunno how long this will go on for. I have a personal goal to post once for every day, so, since it's been 60 days since I began, I've posted 60 chapters. Quite a few OVAs for days my mind isn't 'book worthy.' We'll see. Keep reading :D

Polarized Penmanship: I have a cousin named Emma! We call her Emmy like a pet name.

Ginger Kaga: I'm so impressed you're taking time to research writing! Having fun with it yet?

KTrevo: What the fudge? Why won't it let you swear? This is complete bull schnitzel.

David: BOTH of my fics in four days?! That's amazing! I wish I could read like that. Thanks for the encouragement :D

Queen of Narnia49: Yep, automail organs. Maes basically revealed Nina's answer all the way back in chapter eight. Kind of.

pitstop96: Nina equals coolest nerd ever. Complex thoughts, sickeningly informal grammar when trying to convey them.

Hawstang: Ha! You love her from far away now since you started yelling for help when you touched her tummy? Priceless!

Illovebooks: Yeah, I wouldn't want any automail organs put in my body. Even if they did get transmuted into real tissue afterward.

PhantomhiveHost: What makes him scary is he's a mass murderer but he's cute and lovable at the same time somehow.

long live marshmallows: Nina's a smart cookie :)

mixmax300: Haha, unexpected can be good, but not too unexpected. Glad you're getting the proper balance out of this.

MYcookies: Hahaha! It's funny you should mention Naes Cornstang. I titled this chapter just for you :P

Firaga Productions: Oo! Bumper sticker: Maes and Nina-what dreams are made of :D

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Chapter 60: OVA—Naes Cornstang

We stood outside the Café watching Nina lick the frothy stuff off the top of her cappuccino.

I tapped my lip. "Hm. I'm not sure why she ordered that. I distinctly remember writing toward the end of the first chapter that she didn't like coffee."

"Yeah," said Maes contemplatively, "but her dialogue was geared more toward instant coffee. I think you left it open that she might like good quality coffee over granules as a reference to Riza Mustang's high standard in coffee in 'Babysitting the Boss Guy.'"

I nodded. "Could be."

Nina made a face after a hearty sip. Poor baby had probably burned her tongue trying to chug the fresh brew.

"So," said Maes, hands in his pockets, "what now?"

I folded my arms. "I think you know why I called you here."

"I really don't."

I sank. "You call that good dialogue? How am I supposed to work with that?"

He shrugged. "You're the writer."

I ran my hand over my face. "Look, Maes, we're running out of time. I've got hundreds of readers keeping track of yours and Nina's activity by the minute and you haven't made out with her in two chapters. That's a lot of chapter, Maes."

"Yeah, but I said she was my girlfriend in front of my uncle's entire family."

"Yes, yes, and then your Aunt talked to Nina about having your babies. I see your point."

Maes double-taked. "What?"

"Never mind." I looked to the side, thinking. "It's still not enough."

"What babies?"

"We need more Naes. We need more Cornstang."

Maes shook his head. "I mean, we haven't even…"

I placed my hands on my hips. "The reviews have been pretty passionate lately." I turned to Maes. "Some readers have threatened roach-warfare."

"Dear God, Author!" He had his hand over his mouth like he was classically shocked.

"I know, Maes. I know. But we must be strong."

Maes nodded. He put his hand gently on my shoulder and peered into my eyes. "Do you need me to get Nina pregnant?"

I shrugged him off in a jerk. "No, soldier! We're in hard times, but we're not that desperate. What the hell kind of story inserts crap like that out of the blue?"

"It doesn't have to be out of the blue," said Maes. "You could do a buildup like you always do. No one will be the wiser."

I forced a smile. Jeez. Maes was a charmer, but he couldn't think up a realistic plot for shit.

"I appreciate your willingness to contribute, Maes, but I think Nina's better off as is."

Maes looked a little relieved. "Okay. So, what about the roach-warfare?"

"Take off your shirt."

"Huh?"

"Dammit, Maes!" I stomped. "Take off the shirt and strut!"

Poor thing looked mortified. "That's out of character."

"This is a bonus chapter," I said. "We get creative liberties on that front."

"What about my automail?" he said in a nervous whisper. "There are people around. I've only let eight people in total see my equipment."

I stared at him. "Do you have any idea how many readers just marked on their calendars as this being the day Maes Elric said 'see my equipment'?"

"What about my equipment? Do they have some kind of problem with it?"

I tried very hard not to laugh, but I could feel my mouth twitching anyway. "Not exactly what I was getting at."

"So," said Maes, folding his arms like he was offended, "do they have some kind of fascination with it? How much do they know about my equipment, Author? Just what have you been telling them? It's supposed to be a secret."

"Did you just say you have 'secret equipment'?" I asked. My face felt like it would laugh. I pursed my lips and snorted. "I'm too old to be laughing at this stuff."

Maes's golden eyes got grey and heavy. He looked away. "You don't have to be mean. I don't see what's so funny about my automail."

"Nothing's funny," I said. "I wasn't even talking about…that."

"You gave me a very traumatic backstory, Author."

"I know, honey."

"My life's still writing out pretty tragic," he said softly.

Oh, gosh. He was doing that thing again. The thing with the eyes and that pouty lip.

"Okay, Maes. I have an idea." I patted the side of his arm. "Forget getting Nina pregnant and taking your shirt off. I want you to march into that coffee parlor and order ten bottles of milk. Then…"

"Oh, please don't!" He dropped to his knees before me. "You can't do this to me."

"Then," I said, "I want you to give them to Nina and take her to your home in Resembool. I've decided to turn her into a milk-alchemist. Nina's going to transmute that milk into the Holy Grail of alchemy and force it down Edward. If he survives, the readers will stop trying to hunt me down for threatening to kill him."

"But, milk…" Maes shook his head in horror. "It's my father's one true weakness. There's no certainty that he'll make it!"

"Yes," I said with a devilish grin. "Even in bonus chapters, there's no certainty Edward will make it."

"Won't your readers hate that?"

"Well, yeah," I said.

"Roach warfare?"

"I've got it covered." I stuck my pinkies in my mouth and whistled sharply through the air. Nina looked up from her scalding beverage. I beckoned her out.

"Yeah, Author?" she said, standing at my other side.

"Stand next to Maes," I said. "No one wants you standing next to me when you could be standing with him."

Nina exchanged a skeptical glance with Maes. "I thought you pretty much preferred we shy away from the codependence thing as much as possible."

"This is a bonus chapter," Maes reminded. "Our attachment to one another is allowed to be unhealthy for the sake of fan service."

"Oh!" Nina chirped. "Got you." She reached her dainty white hands up and gripped his collar with a vengeance, yanking him down to meet her. "This okay, Author?"

I wagged my hand. "Go to town."

Maes swung his arm around the small of her back and lifted her into a kiss, right there outside of the café. I stepped into the café as they 'went to town.' Writing kisses in third-person omniscient seemed like a really awkward thing to attempt.

Outside through the glass, I could hear Nina's muffled voice saying, "So, I don't have to get pregnant?"

Maes quoted, "We're not that desperate."

"Good thinking. Wouldn't want to have a baby within months of your Aunt and Uncle's fourth."

Maes shuddered. "Like a low budget chick flick." He sighed. "Though I'm not sure 'milk-alchemist' is much better."

"What?"

Maes shook his head. "Nothing. She'll understand." Maes bent to kiss her lips again.

I turned to the lady at the register. They could continue to go to town on their own time. The lady smiled like a chipper chipmunk. I grabbed Ed's old watch out of my red coat pocket and shoved it on the counter. "Got any gluten-free corn muffins?"


	61. Chapter 61: Memories and Nightmares

Author's Note: "Maes Elric, making cornbread sexy since 2013." Thank you, Polarized Penmanship.

very-chan: Well, I doubt it would be a boring conversation, no matter what it was about :P

SavFFLover: Not sure I could stand brainstorming with them. Nina would complain about the lack of showers in past chapters. Maes would ask for an edible play-dough scene. It would be a disaster.

Red-Hot Habanero: Thanks! Glad to have you reading and suggesting stuff :)

KTrevo: I tell you, people read my ff in the craziest places. One reader in the bathroom while brushing her teeth before school, haha!

mixmax300: Nina and Maes should definitely have advisors. Or maybe they should be advisors :O

DanniMaeAnima92: I got a little brother going into eighth grade. He's got about 400 ppl in his grade, last I checked. It's crazy. I don't like the thought :S

PhantomhiveHost: It was your favorite? Big compliment. Thanks so much! I wasn't sure it was good enough to post.

MYcookies: Brilliant?! Aw, shucks. That's sweet. So glad you enjoy my writing that much :D Suspense is fun.

long live marshmallows: I took chemistry. I feel your pain. Glad to help :)

pitstop56: Haha you squealed? Awesome! Desperate readers is a big compliment :P

Hawkstang: You have some memorable people in your life. Ever think about writing about them?

AlchemistLeigh95: Ed-"Milk Alchemist? See, this is the type of thing that makes me not miss my alchemy."

Juliana Black Lichtler: If you took four years to write it, chances are it's very good :) Maes and his 'bed job'? Think I'll leave that up to the readers :P

Polarized Penmanship: I talked to my sister at the start of this fic after I'd had him eating corn plain out of a can and she said his gold hair and eyes made him like the spirit of the cornfield (Maes- maize). That's his natural habitat. That's where 'corn' comes from.

* * *

Heads Up: I got a suggestion to put my replies to reviews at the bottom to make skipping to the actual chapter easier for readers who don't do reviews. Unless anyone has a gigantic issue with that, **I will be putting my replies at the end of each chapter starting next post.** Okay. Read on.

* * *

Chapter 61: Nightmares, Memories, and Living Hell

Its fleshy lid widened like a mouth and stared hungrily at me.

"I think I want to go away from that one!" My voice came out strange as anything. Really tiny. Like a little bitty kid. "I think it does not want to be my friend the most."

I looked up at the row of dark figures in white coats standing behind the glass window watching me and watching the giant eye behind me.

I wasn't just looking up. I was looking way up. My head had to almost tilt straight up to look at the figures' shrouded faces. I was standing small. My skin was cold. I was naked. My body ached like it had been kicked a few good times pretty recently. My face was soggy with tears.

"I want out!" I squealed.

The figures observed apathetically and wrote on their clip-boards.

I checked behind my bony shoulder and the eye met my gaze, held it. Long shadowy hands crept from its socket and reached for me. I heard myself scream. "I don't want it! I don't!"

The figures observed.

The dark hands crept over my feet and brushed their fingers over my heels. I stumbled away, shrieking pretty darn desperate, but the hands held my ankles from getting too far. They tripped me to my hands and knees and dragged me over the clinical tile floor.

The figures in white coats scribbled more on their clipboards.

More of the hands crawled out of the eye and grabbed my bare body. They tickled up me, nipped my scarred skin. I clawed the ground, fighting. The dark fingers clenched and sank into my stomach. They dug and ripped. I thrashed and screamed. It was like I'd fallen facedown on a band saw. I didn't understand how I knew what that felt like. The hands probed through my veins and devoured the living daylights out of me.

"I want out!" My voice was so frantic and strained with sobs I could hardly tell what I was saying.

Once the hands had squeezed into my vessels, they were able to munch me from the inside and outside at the same time, pain from every direction. It went quick. My whole body went quick. I watched the eye and it watched me until its hands dragged my remains over the ridge of the under-lid and reached into my sockets to gouge out my eyes in two mouthfuls.

My mouth moved to, "Maes," just once. Then I was in white.

"So," said a silvery voice, "they've sent another one."

"I want out," My voice was tiny and faltering.

There he was, that white silhouette of a guy with a really scary smile and nothing else on his white face. He sat in front of me crisscross, grinning ear to ear.

"I want out!" I said louder.

The Gatekeeper chuckled like my terror was funny. "I suppose you'll be wanting fire alchemy as well?"

I was sounding all sobby and snively. "That person in his coat has a glasses. He tells me I do what it takes. I need a result. I get water if I bring the result, please."

The Gatekeeper shook his head. "You'd think they'd give up after their first twenty-seven live rebounds."

I heard something stir behind me. I turned to see a door, a big giant blank stone door with no knob or handle, a grey heavy-looking thing. The empty swish as it opened was dang intimidating. As it parted for me, a bunch of stuff started carving itself into the door. Symbols, words, pictures, a tree, a little lizard, a sun, more and more. It didn't stop. Just kept carving. Swirls, curves, angles, words I couldn't read and didn't have time to. The black hands reached through the door and pulled me in. I watched its face run out of space as I passed. I watched the engravings continue. The door never stopped carving itself.

The hands pulled me through the tunnel of white and the shine of it made me think I was blind. Then I saw something. With my eyes? No, with my head. With every part of me. I saw ever speck of the world with every blink. I thought every thought at the same time. I breathed every breath, smelled every smell, felt every pain. Tears poured off my face and dripped through the empty white below.

The hands threw me across the endlessness. Cold and scalding hot. It wasn't stopping. The tunnel wasn't stopping. I just kept seeing and understanding and reliving everything and everyone over and over with no end in sight.

The smell of cooking flesh filled my stinging sinuses and I shrieked at the familiar burn ripping through my palms. The black hands held firm to my wrists and branded symbols and words into my hands, symbols and words like some of the ones engraved into my stone door.

"Nina!"

Air filled my lungs, but I didn't feel myself breathing. No relief came from it. I breathed in more and coughed it out. My eyes darted through the dark space until finally falling on the sparkly pink nightlight plugged near to the triplets' shut closet. I shifted on my mattress. The mattress was overly firm, seemed close to the floor. A slumber party.

I recognized Maes's wiry arms as he lifted me upright and held me. He held my limp body flopped forward against him, my mess of bedhead hanging tangled past his hunched shoulder. His hand patted my back like he was carrying around a little new baby. "It's okay, Nina. Just a dream. Just a dream."

"Don't cry, Nina." Ming's timid voice was unmistakable. "Trisha's getting Mommy."

My lips parted to tell her I wasn't going to cry, but I heard a gasping sob leak through me and I realized I already was. I felt my shoulder blades shudder under Maes's hands. I closed my mouth and pretended it was over. I pretended it really had been just a dream.

"Was it the Stone again?" said Maes.

If only. I tucked my head under his chin, pressing my wet cheek against his collarbone. I sniffed. I nodded. He didn't need to know what remembering was doing to me.

They let me sleep in the next morning. Well, they tried to. I'd never been too great at sleeping in. After what I'd remembered last night, it seemed pretty dang logical that I'd have excessive difficulty sleeping and staying asleep.

I popped into the kitchen at eight. I couldn't bear to lay awake for them any later than that.

"Nina?" said Aunt Mei. She was sitting at the table eating porridge with an ugly black and white cat creature sleeping on top of her pregnant stomach.

"I'm going outside."

She swallowed and set her bowl down. "Are you hungry, sweetie?"

I stepped light across the kitchen, still clad in the floral nightgown I'd gotten from the Palace. "You make me eat and I just might puke." Not a lie.

"Does Maes know you're up?"

"Doubt it." I opened the back door, stepped out into the grass, and close the thing behind me.

What now?

I took a look at my left hand, turned it face up. I looked at the burns on my fingertips and palm and, for the first time, I didn't see random scars. I saw remnants of all fire-alchemy's secrets branded into my hand. I traced over the marks with my eyes and filled in the missing pieces like a puzzle.

I could see where it was supposed to be, the key to transmuting flames written into my flesh. All those years ago, the Gate had tried to burn the key to Flame Alchemy into my hands like a map. My dad had stunted it, healed away as much of it as he could, I realized. All that remained on the surface were the flecks that had been too damaged to heal with alchehestry, the spots that had been transmuted by the Gate's flames to something flammable like Dad's ignition gloves.

Under the surface, the circle for Flame Alchemy still lingered in my core, under my skin. It was enmeshed with my life force, stuck there by the Gate. It was all enmeshed. Maes had once said an alchemist sees from the Truth what the Gate deems necessary for them to see. So, what the hell was necessary for me to see? I knew damn well it was more than some measly flames.

"You're awake." Maes stepped out and came next to me. He looked at me and his shoulders sank. "You've been awake."

He was already dressed and ready to go. I folded my arms over my nightie and looked ahead at the fuzzy green grass spread out over the massive lawn, all fenced in and private. I forced an encouraging smile. "I want to call your dad."

Maes stared at me all awkward for a moment, but he eventually decided he liked the idea and smiled back. "Sounds like a plan." He took my hand and led me inside. Never had holding hands felt so frightening. I kept glancing down to remind myself it was Maes's fingers laced with mine and not the dark fingers creeping from the Portal.

Uncle Al was sitting in the study when we got there, already yacking long with Uncle Ed, spilling the news of my discovered plan. Uncle Al hadn't really seen me and Maes come in yet. He sat back at the desk with this at a loss look on his face as he tried to get a word in edgewise. "Brother…Brother…Brother, listen to me…Ed!"

Maes laughed quietly, shooting me a knowing sideways glance.

"It has nothing to do with the Philosopher's Stone!" Uncle Al said it like he'd already had to repeat himself a hundred times. "We're talking exactly what we did with Maes's automail but more complex to fit your situation. We're not even using souls as a reference anymore. Does that make sense?"

Maes knocked on the doorway since we'd already kind of stepped in. "Uncle Al?"

Uncle Al looked up from his call. "Hold on, brother." He put his hand over the receiver. "Nina, you're awake."

"Yeah," I said, "I noticed."

Uncle Al held up the phone. "Maes, do you want to say hi?"

Maes shook his head, pointing to me with his thumb. "We're here for her."

Uncle Al knit his brow. "You sure?" He was aware of his brother's temperamental personality and my tendency to accidentally offend.

I stepped up to the desk and yanked the phone out of his hand. "I'm positive." I held the phone to my ear and cleared my throat. "Uncle Ed?"

"Don't you start with all that 'Uncle Ed' stuff!" Yup. He was pissed. "I told you not to go to Xing and the next morning I wake up and I finally get it out of my wife that you've gone to Xing!"

I leaned on the desk and twirled the cord around my ring finger. "Yeah."

"My son's an invalid!" Uncle Ed said. "Letting him go to Central on his own was a big step for me and Winry. And you took him to Xing!"

"He took me."

"Nina Mustang!"

"You're sounding good and healthy, Uncle Ed," I said. "So I figure you'll be able to talk my ear off for a steady hour before you give me a break. But that's not your job. I have a dad and he'll scold me half to death next time I see him. I didn't swipe a call with you to be griped at, you got me?"

There was a pause. Uncle Ed sighed. "Yeah. I know. It turned out alright in the end, Nina. I should be thanking you."

"I don't want to talk about gratitude," I said. I caught Maes and Uncle Al looking at me like spectators. I lowered the phone and gave them a stern look. "Give me a minute, okay?"

Uncle Al looked a little uneasy leaving me on my lonesome in his office on the phone with his brother. He went out the door with a last worried glance over his shoulder. Maes lagged after him, kind of hesitating like he was waiting for me to say, 'Oh, not you Maes. I didn't want you to give me a minute. Don't be silly.' But I let him go. Uncle Al closed the door behind them.

I sat on the bare corner of Uncle Al's desk and pressed the phone against my ear. "Uncle Ed?"

"I'm listening." Damn. He still sounded tense. I didn't need 'tense.'

I closed my eyes and saw the dark. "What was it like for you? The taboo."

I heard a tiny grunt come from his end like he'd been about to talk but the words had cut off. He took a breath and spoke softer now. "How do you mean, Nina?"

"No one ever talks about it," I said. "Did the black hands crawl up and eat you?"

"They ate my leg," said Uncle Ed. "That was my price to get in."

"If the black hands didn't eat you, then how the hell did you get in?" My tone was sounding kind of too sharp.

Uncle Ed talked calm. "I saw a flash of white. I saw the Truth. I woke up back where I'd started with my left leg gone."

"They didn't eat you?"

"They ate my leg." Uncle Ed paused. "They ate Alphonse."

I felt my heart start racing and I didn't like it at all. Sure they'd eaten Alphonse. He'd lost his body, right? But after he'd seen the Truth, the Truth didn't spit him back out. Uncle Ed pulled out his soul and stuck it to that armor, but his body had stayed in that portal for a steady five years before he got it back. That's how Maes had said it.

As far as I knew, I'd been in one piece once the Truth was done with me. Those doctors; what had they sacrificed to bring me out of that place as a whole person? I shivered to think. All I could figure on was a Philosopher's Stone. What had that Gatekeeper meant when he'd talked about twenty-seven prior attempts ending in rebounds? Had those doctors sent other subjects besides me through? Had the subjects died in the trials? Had the subjects been little kids like I had been?

"Nina," said Uncle Ed, "your idea about helping me with automail organs is nothing short of brilliant. I don't doubt your capability, but you should let Alphonse deal with the details on Human Transmutation. It's a heavy subject."

"This wasn't about helping you," I said. I breathed tight. "This was about helping me. Thanks." I felt pretty much worse.

I hung up.

I sat on the living room couch and sketched on that empty pad of paper, outlining circles, curves and angles, symbols and words I couldn't really read but kind of just understood. Maes was out with Uncle Al visiting to hardware stores for junk to make automail with. The case Aunt Winry had sent us with wasn't going to cut it for this kind of project.

Aunt Mei had talked about showing me some alchehestry after lunch, but it was just talk. I'd woken everyone up last night with my incident and she needed a nap by the time the clock struck noon.

Ming, Jun, and Trisha all headed over to a neighbor's house for some reason. I figured it was a playmate, but it could have just been that the neighbors owned a backyard pool and it was good swim-weather. Honestly, I didn't feel like being nurturing right then. Those girls could sniff out a frown a thousand miles away. Still, I kind of didn't want to be a lone either.

"It's coming together," I said out loud, "isn't it?"

I nodded slow in reply to myself.

I nodded again. I set the notepad down on the coffee table and headed for the office. I went it, closed the door behind me, and picked up the phone. I dialed.

I breathed fast into the receiver, every harsh puff sounding staticky and annoying. I wondered if I should just hang up.

Then the line stopped doing the smooth dial-tone sounds. I waited for the secretary to tell me I was going on hold. Instead I got, "You've reached Fuhrer King Mustang's office. Regular office hours include Monday through Friday, eight am through eight pm. Saturday through Sunday…"

I slammed the phone down. I'd forgotten about time difference. I figured I could just call the home phone, but that would be waking them up in the middle of the night.

I sat on the desk even though the chair was right beside it. I put my hand over my heart and closed my eyes. I'd never felt for my own life-force before. Maybe it was impossible, like reading your own pulse with your thumb. I calmed my breathing and tried it out anyway.

I pulled away immediately. That didn't feel right. Like pulling teeth out of my own gums. I balled my hands at my sides to keep them from trying it again. Things were coming together, so why was I now the one falling apart?

I laughed to myself. "Equivalent exchange, much?"


	62. Chapter 62: Forced Life-force

Author's Note: Posting a little earlier for an unknown reason. Replies to reviews at bottom of chapter :)

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Chapter 62: Forced Life-force

I watched from the sky or something. It was a bird's eye view, whatever it was, and everything was white. Why did it always have to be white? Green would've been nice. I liked green. But down below me was an empty field, and every bit of its long, wispy grass was multi-tonal white. I supposed white couldn't be multi-tonal. White was just white. But the grass really was multi-tonal, had maybe some gray to it, had texture and shadow. It blew in a breeze I couldn't exactly feel.

There were tiny figures wading through the stark grass, coming from nowhere, one by little one. They were children, and lots of them. From what I could tell, they were all bare naked as anything. I could see the bruises and scars from the beatings. Their stunted bodies were like skeletons. Their hair was cut short on their head. Some were even buzz-shaved. The youngest ones looked no older than two. The eldest couldn't have been past five. I counted thirty, even.

Most of them had tired eyes and timid gates. None of them looked particularly happy. No one spoke, either. Almost like they were never taught to talk. But then there was this little kid at the edge, a tiny pale kid with giant china-blue eyes and feathery black baby-hair, cut like sprigs close to her head. It was hard to see her body through the grass and she was really young, practically a toddler, but I could tell she was a girl. I just knew.

She pushed into the gathering crowd and grinned with excited eyes, waving her fingers at every child who would meet eyes with her. What a weirdo. What was she smiling about? She was one of the ones who looked like she'd been beaten three-quarters to death instead of just halfway. Maybe she'd been kicked in the head a couple times too many and she'd gone a little dim-witted.

"Hi, there!" she said to them, like she'd been reading a guide to elementary small-talk. She ran her delicate fingers through the grass and giggled. I had to admit, her laugh was sparkly.

Her laugh seemed to ripple through the grass and, little by little, the other children started seeing her and something seemed to stir in their eyes. Like hope, but not that sappy.

One little girl pushed through the grass and said, "Twenty-one!"

Another toddler scampered over. "Where's Twenty-one?"

Twenty-one raised her arm over her head. "Hi, there!"

One of the older children, a boy who'd been shaved almost bald with scabs around his ears and scalp, hurried to Twenty-one and took her hand. He looked at her with glassy, tearful eyes and said, "I want Mummy."

Twenty-one sucked her raspberry lip. "We get water. I was good girl this time."

I swallowed, watching that glint in Twenty-one's crystal blue eyes. I listened to the familiar squeak in her voice. I traced a map of my old scars as new ones on her baby-skin. Twenty-one was baby Nina.

"No crying, Seventeen," said Twenty-one, pointing at one of the older girls sobbing with her face in her hands. "You are a big one. They hurt us if we cry."

A couple of the kids standing next to Seventeen reached to pat her head and repeated Twenty-one's warning. Gradually the children opened their mouths and spoke to one another. They moved around and relaxed and sat. Some even smiled. I watched little Twenty-one skip around frailly as a small boy called Twelve ensued a game of chase. It was pathetic how they all limped after one another. Some could barely stand to begin with.

But we smiled.

The grass was so long and thick, I didn't notice the shadowy hands creeping from the ground until Nine screamed, "Let me go!"

Two of the boys within range went to check it out. The black hands coiled around Nine's twiggy legs. When the boys tried to pull the hands off of Nine, they began screaming with her and their fingers were eaten away where they held. Other children began screaming as well. Some hurried to others to help but got caught up in the Truth themselves. Some tried to run away but were dragged and held captive by the hands despite their struggle.

I spectated from above in horror as Twenty-one desperately fought to make it to the others, screaming, "I hate this one! I hate it!" Her spindly arms reached for her friends as they were devoured. She squirmed as her flesh peeled from her bones and she was devoured with them. Screams and cries erupted from the field until the air tapered into silence.

Blood stained the grass red like brush strokes. Nothing remained of the children but thirty giant, unblinking eyes with their ravenous hands still wagging through the empty grass. The eyes closed. The bloody grass waved in a breeze I wouldn't have felt even if it had let me.

One eye did not disappear. One eye reopened.

Twenty-one rose from the shrouds of grass, shivering and wet with other children's blood. Her blue eyes gazed through the empty field and milky tears trailed down her red-stained cheeks. She cried silently. She'd been taught never to cry. They hurt her when she cried.

She looked down at the blades of grass swishing against her. I could see her ignorant eyes watching the wetness of the blood dripping from the grass's tips. Wet like water. She sucked her dry lips.

I saw what she was going to do. I knew myself. "Nina, no!"

She reached with both hands and plucked a long white blade. She put her tiny mouth on the bloody end and sucked the moisture. She dropped the blade. She picked another. I watched her continue. I watched her drink the whole field back to perfect, multi-tonal white.

I opened my eyes. The sky was blue and I was staring straight at it. Uncle Al and Aunt Mei's mowed green lawn cushioned under me. I turned my head, one side then the other. The backyard was fenced and no one had come for me. I assumed no one would.

It seemed Maes was still out with his uncle and Aunt Mei was still enjoying a nap while her kids were with the neighbors. I had dozed in the grass. Not the most restful doze.

I put my hand over my heart and felt it pound. I breathed not too steady. "Is that it? Is that why I'm alive? Are you inside of me?" Were they my price?

I laid still, closed my eyes and let the sun make my eyelids glow orange. My fingertips fiddled with the collar of my robe. I flicked open the top embroidered buttons and slipped my hand to rest below my collar bone. I felt myself breathe, making my hand rise and fall with my chest.

"Are you inside me, Seven?" I whispered.

I sucked my lip and clenched my eyes shut tighter.

"Are you my life-force?"

I opened my eyes back up to the cloudless blue and redid the buttons at my front. It would've made sense that my entire life-force would be nothing but a Philosopher's Stone. How else could I still be alive after being forced through the Portal, seen all that Truth? Thing was, it made perfect sense. I could join with other people's life forces and manipulate them like I was inside them. It was like my life-force wasn't even bound to my body.

Not like Ling. He'd had a life-force and added a Philosopher's Stone to it for immortality. It made me sick to think, but it would've made sense that my life-force in itself was a Philosopher's Stone. That my personal life-force was lumped into the Stone along with the life-forces of the twenty-nine subjects who weren't successful experiments.

"How many of you have I killed?" I asked softly.

I grabbed fistfuls of grass in my outstretched hands and ripped them out of the ground. I dropped them immediately, remembering what blood had tasted like in the dream. Blood sucked from grass.

"I'm sorry I forgot. Please, speak." A smiled crept onto my mouth. "Come on, Fourteen. You want to answer me. We all know you can't keep quiet for shit."

I bit my lip. I bit it harder. Now I understood why I'd always been afraid to cry.

I slipped my hand under my collar again and breathed. I'd feel my own damn life-force. I'd do it. For them. I chewed my lip. I closed my eyes so tight it hurt. I didn't have to feel for my rhythm. I was already part of it. Duh. I just had to stop using my brain. I had to stop controlling.

Twenty beads of dark red souls waded around me in an even current, smooth together as one single life-force. Exuberant shouts of, "Twenty-one!" clawed through my skull. I asked them about the other nine.

I was on the patio, sitting in a wicker chair. Forget the Truth. The Truth behind the Gate was nothing compared to the truth inside my soul. I rubbed my chest with my collar still open.

Twenty-eight had helped me join to Maes's life-force that first time. Seventeen had helped me heal him. Nineteen had helped me join and escape Ling's Philosopher's Stone. Three had helped me navigate the life-force shared between Aunt Mei and her baby.

They told me Four, Five, Twenty-six, and Twelve had been used when I was a really little girl. I didn't remember that one. I didn't even know how I'd been able to use life-forces back then.

But they were gone. Just gone. Nine souls I'd loved. Nine souls I'd forgotten about completely until now.

The others had said not to be sad. They told me that they were happy to help, that my friends were their friends too. I knew they meant it, but it didn't change the facts. I'd used up my friends' souls and I'd been proud of myself for it like I'd done it by my own skill. I'd bragged.

My Stone didn't deal in immortality. It powered and manipulated life-forces, mine most of all. I bit my lip. "I am not an alchemist."

I heard the back door creak open behind me. I didn't turn around. I didn't know if I could. I dug my hand through my hair and curled up in my outdoor chair a little. Just leave me alone.

"Nina?" said Maes. The door shut behind him. "Hey you out here? There you are! Hey."

I stayed how I was. He came around beside me and pulled up a chair. I could feel his smile. That sickly sweet, crooked grin casting warmth on my cheek.

"So, apparently Lan Fan was right on about automail in Xing," he said. "Not much in the ways of advanced automail technology around here. Rush Valley's the place for that, but you wanted to stick around here a little longer to get a better idea on alchehestry. I figure, since you wanted to make a lot of the parts from scratch anyway, we could just get the most basic materials we can get our hands on and go from there."

My heart was racing. I sucked my lip.

"Nina?" Maes leaned closer. He put his hand on my armrest. "Hey, what's wrong?" I felt his fingers go through the tips of my hair. He pulled his hand away. "Is this grass?"

I jerked to my feet, my eyes set forward, not really daring to look at anything. I took about three quick steps, jolted to a stop, threw my arms in front of me and snapped my fingers with my arms flinging back past my shoulders.

The air ignited and set ablaze for about half a second. My chest heaved breaths as the fire blew out with the wind. All that remained was empty traces of heated space, falling down on me and warming my skin. That blew away, too.

I stood straight and staggered a little to face Maes, putting on a smile. "Alright, let's go save your dad."

* * *

**Replies to Reviews!**

Illovebooks: Haha, you're welcome! It's an accomplishment :P You don't like Mustang?

very-chan: Yeah, it's a panda, but Ed says it's a cat. That means it's a cat. No questions asked.

SavFFLover: Roy and Riza figured enough out about Nina to save her and maybe a little on the side, but not much else. More about the lab in Drachma than Nina's time through the Portal.

KTrevo: It does get happier! I promise! Eventually!

mixmax300: Sleep deprivation as Nina's price? Alternate-ending gold.

Juliana Black Lichtler: Sometimes I think the Truth-guy makes up all these payments off the top of his head.

pitstop96: Hahaha! Self discovery time sucks? Yes. Yes, it does in my writing, I guess :P

Hawkstang: Oo! What do you draw? I'm not amazing at art, but I think it's fun :)

maana999: It amuses me that you won't be reading this for a while since you're not caught up yet :P

PhantomhiveHost: I can't help it! It's my brain's fault. It won't shut up.

TheKingOfOkay: Ha! That's awesome. Yep, I like this better. Roy and Riza were fun, but there's nothing like writing your own characters. To be honest, Babysitting the Boss Guy got the absolute most fun for me when Nina entered the scene :D

Ginger Kaga: You will see happy. Lots of happy. Eventually :S

SilverLit: Daughtry? I listened to a lot of him in early high school. Thanks, I'll have to check it out!


	63. Chapter 63: Detour from Life

Author's Note: FAQ- Nina being like Hohenheim except not exactly will be explained more later :)

**replies at bottom**

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Chapter 63: Detour from Life

"Nina?"

I scribbled down some more details to my circle-brainstorms.

"Nina?"

"I'm fine."

Maes put his hand on my shoulder. "Nina, you lit the air on fire."

"Only for a second." I shrugged him off. "I've said I was fine, like, a hundred times."

"Twenty seven times." He leaned on the couch and met my eyes. "You've lied to me twenty seven times."

I forced a smile. I shrugged real cute and adorable. I brightened my smile. "It's just a lot of responsibility. I have to stay focused."

"That's twenty eight times."

I flinched. Twenty eight. Twenty-eight had spent herself helping me join to Maes's life-force for the first time. I looked away.

Maes folded his arms. "See, that's what I'm talking about."

"I'm just tired."

"Twenty nine."

I cringed. Twenty nine children put inside me. Only twenty left now. "Would you cool it, Maes? I'm fine."

He frowned. "Thirty."

Thirty subjects. One survived. "Shut up! You count one more soul and I'll burn your mouth of your face!"

Maes gaped at me, motionless. Compared to my raised up voice, the room seemed absolutely free of all noise. I almost wanted to yell again just to break the silence. Instead, I set the notebook aside and stood to leave. I pretended I didn't care that he had his eyes on me. I pretended I was completely unaware he was trying to get me to meet his gaze. I turned from him toward the door.

I felt him like a delayed reaction, his hand taking my wrist and pulling me into a hug. I felt it kind of late to protest. I kind of didn't want to protest. I kind of wanted to just cry into his silky blue shirt. I settled for letting him hold me and kind of just holding him back a little bit. He kissed my hair.

"You don't have to tell me," he said. "I'd rather you tell me nothing than lie to me."

I slipped my arms around him like tendrils and buried my face in his shirt. I sucked my lip. Maes hugged me just a little tighter, almost unnoticeable except I noticed these things.

"Hey," he said, "would you go out with me?"

I pulled from him enough to look him in his eyes. "Are you serious?"

Maes looked confused. "Did you have plans this evening?"

"Well…no."

"Good!" He smiled. "I'll take you on a date, Miss Nina. I've always wanted to do that."

"What? Take someone on a date or take me on a date?"

Maes blinked. "Who else would I have taken?"

Oh, dear. In my mind I imagined all kinds of 'Maes's idea of a date' scenarios. Painting fences for old ladies together, watching the sunset from the top of a doghouse, betting Sophie's college fund on a local children's tennis match. Maybe not what I should've been participating in with all that was going on. Or maybe it was exactly what I should've been participating in.

"Let's go," I said. "Now."

Maes shook his head. "That's not how it works. With dates, you have to actually get ready before you go."

"Get ready?"

"Sophie says so."

Ah, yes. Sophie. The professional on dating.

"Alright," I said. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the hair ribbon I used when I washed my face and stuff. I grabbed the top of my hair and tied it up half-up half-down without a mirror. I did it with a bow. "Good enough?"

Maes inspected it. "You should tie your hair like that more often. I can see your eyes better." He smiled at me. "Let's go."

"Aren't you going to 'get ready'?"

Maes looked at me with his brow rumpled. "I'm already ready. Did I forget something?"

I scanned him over. It would've been better if he'd taken his shirt off. I gave him a thumbs-up. "You're good."

He stuck out his elbow at me. "Shall we, Nina?"

I took his arm escorted-style. "Get me out of here, Maesy."

For whatever reason, Maes actually took me someplace normal. It was a sit-down setting with pink tablecloths and junk. Maes even got us a table indoors to stay safe from the heat. It was a surprisingly boring setup compared to Maes's usual ideals. Except for the menu consisting completely of Amestrian delicacies.

"Pretty darn orthodox," I said, flipping through a menu. "I mean, for you."

Maes stuck his chin on his hand kind of pouty. "Why do you keep saying stuff like that? It's like you think I'm weird."

"Pretty much," I said. "Pretty much in a good way. If I was into normal, I'd be taken by now."

Maes smiled like a perky puppy. "Oh! Good. I think."

I put my menu down. "I eat this stuff at home all the time. Why'd you take me here?"

Maes didn't seem to notice I'd said something as he flagged a waitress over. He smiled at her. "I'll have some corn muffins while she's still deciding." Oh. That's why.

The waitress looked like she couldn't have been older than twenty, which meant she was very much susceptible to Maes's smile and enthusiasm for dumb stuff. I caught her smiling back as she wrote down his request in her little notebook.

I rolled my eyes and held out my menu for her to take. "Hey, I want noodles."

She got a little rosy and startled. "Noodles?"

"With sauce."

"Spaghetti?"

I shook my head. "The other one."

"Alfredo?"

"Yep."

Maes handed his menu off, too. "I want spaghetti. I don't want it to get a complex since Nina blatantly rejected it just now."

The waitress took off to the kitchen with our order all happy, like she thought Maes smiling at her was the equivalent of him falling madly in love. I sank in my seat. This was dumb.

"Nina," said Maes, "what do you think you'll do once my dad's better?"

I felt a little warmth in my cheeks and wondered if I was really that awkward. "That kind of just depends on you, doesn't it?"

He laughed. "Yeah, of course, but I wanted to know what you thought."

"Well, I…" My hand slipped under my collar. Fourteen used to tell stories about the sea from before she was put in the laboratory. "Maybe the beach."

"You can wear that bikini again," Maes suggested excitedly. "And I'll teach you to swim! God, I've never been up close to a beach before. I've only swam in the lake. My dad's been. He's been everywhere. He'll take us."

"That sounds really nice."

Maes's smile faded and he looked at me kind of serious. "Did I say something wrong?"

I sucked my lip. Apparently I was being an open book with him again. "You said I didn't have to talk about it."

His eyes sank. "Oh."

I fiddled with my neatly folded napkin until it was neatly unfolded. "I think I'd like to take your family to Central with me. After all the shit we've been through, our parents owe it to us to make up. Our moms shouldn't be a problem, but I'm thinking we should chain your dad to the wall since he'll have the strength to throw a punch by then. We'll pour a bucket of water over my dad."

Maes laughed. "Useless when wet! I like it, Nina. I really like it."

"Thank you Maes." I smiled kind of smug. "I wish I could say I have to try…"

He reached across the table and held my fingers loosely. "Of course you don't. You're you."

"See, you say stuff like that and I start feeling like you're flirting with me."

"And you say that like I never flirt with you."

I hugged his fingers. "Yeah, yeah."

Our food came pretty quick, all at once. Of course, this was Xing, not Central. Any restaurant was faster than the service you got in Central. Maes absolutely wolfed his down. Now that his automail was fixed up and his strength was way up, he'd been scarfing food like crazy. It was kind of adorable and gross at the same time. He ate every one of those corn muffins he ordered. I was perfectly fine with that.

"I think I'd like a coat," I said. I wiped the creamy alfredo sauce off my lip with the back of my hand even though I had a clean napkin on the table. "Like yours."

Maes set down his water like he was surprised. "Like mine? You mean the tacky, ugly, hideous, blinding red one?"

"I'm not so sure you even own a jacket that doesn't fit that description."

Maes grinned with all his teeth, his gold eyes getting golder. "I love you so much right now."

"I love you so much all the time."

Maes stood out of his seat and leaned over the table to me. He thumbed my jaw and I let him tilt my head to meet his lips. I craned my neck, lifting a little from my seat. I heard a clink and opened an eye. The waitress had set the check against Maes's water glass. Maes kept kissing me. I shut my eye back closed and kept kissing him back.

Maes held my hand on our walk home. I felt completely legit, like a real girlfriend. It had been a while since Maes had gotten me into anything normal. Actually, I wasn't too sure he'd ever gotten me into anything normal. This holding hands thing was pretty damn normal. It was pretty damn great.

"Your mouth still tastes like corn," I said. "I've tried kissing it off, like, ten times already. It's been half an hour. How is it even possible that it still tastes like corn muffins? You ate spaghetti afterward!"

"If you hate it so much, maybe you should just quit kissing me." He smiled smug because he knew that wasn't fair.

"You went for half those kisses yourself," I said, fist on my hip.

"And we enjoyed every one. Thanks, Nina."

I swung hands with him. Kind of sissy, but classic. "What can I say? I know how to show a guy a good time."

Maes gave me a kind of irritated look out the corner of his eyes. "You speaking from past experience?"

"Totally Maes. Me and my twenty-nine boyfriends."

"Wait, you counted?" He was joking, but I wasn't listening enough to laugh or even acknowledge it. I tugged loose of his hand so I could fold my arms over my stomach. It just felt necessary to hug myself, to hug my twenty remaining friends flowing through me. Twenty used to be twenty nine.

Maes slowed down. I stopped next to him. The streets were a little crowded, so standing still in the middle of things was kind of a bit inconvenient. Maes didn't seem to care. He looked me up and down and it kind of seemed to click with him the purpose of me letting go of his hand, that I just needed my hands free to hug myself. He hugged his arm around my waist with me like he knew I needed to be held for just a sec.

"You said I don't have to talk about it," I said.

"That's right," he said.

I rested my head on him just a little. "You're a damn good alchemist, Maes, and I've seen your automail in action. You're a damn good mechanic, too."

"Thanks." He sounded like he knew what was coming.

"I think you should take over for a while." Dang, I sounded like such a flake. "I wrote up the instructions. You're the only one who has the skill to fulfill them. I mean, you have the original model bolted to your chest. It should be you. I'll…I can do what I have to do when the time comes, but you're the one who's spent all this time trying to prolong your dad's life. You should be the one to do it. It's always been you."

Maes patted my back. "You're right."

I wondered how many of my friends would be used up to extend Uncle Ed's life-force to the automail.

It was getting pretty dusky by the time we made it to the front door. Xing smelled kind of like fruit peels and warm wet rocks at night. It was so much nicer than the muggy city air in Central. Maes and I were still being a little quiet, but not so much awkward as appreciative at this point. Everything was so low key in the evening. It seemed weird to want to interrupt it with blabbing.

I stepped up to knock on the front door to get an Elric to let us in, but Maes pulled me back, kept me close. "Not so fast. That's not how dates end."

I looked up at him. I sucked my lip. "Who said the date had to end?"

He smiled that crooked way that he'd been smiling since the moment I'd met him in Central. Way too good not to take advantage of. I hung my arms around his neck and pushed up onto my toes. Maes held my waist with his hands like he was going to lift me in a dance. Our mouths overlapped. I was ready to stay that way until the sky was black and the stars were out.

"Mama, look!" cried Trisha from behind. "They're kissing!"

"Oh, they are!" said Aunt Mei, sounding way gooey. "Let's leave them alone."

"But they're blocking the door," said Ming.

"Can we go back to the pool?" said Jun.

I opened my eyes and Maes stared at me with his. He smiled against my mouth. I closed my eyes. We kept kissing.

* * *

**Replies:**

Mycookies: Yeah, my sleeping routine is practically non-existent. I post chapters at weird time intervals.

pitstop96: 'oh, snap! (Ha literally)' I love a good pun! Thank you.

Illovebooks: Haha, nice. Mustang's awesome, but I'm terrified of fire. I don't even use birthday candles.

Hawkstang: Ppl on dirtbikes? That is a heck of a lot of detail! *very impressed* You must have tons of patience.

Polarized Penmanship: I'd love someone to say to Ed, "Your son is going out with 'a mini, female, sassy version of [your] old man!'"

Rozablood: You think my writing style is gorgeous? I'm so flipping touched! Thanks so much. Glad you like it :D

Red-Hot Habanero: Phew. So glad I answered your question. Worst thing ever is writing a confusing story :)

very-chan: Ha! Nope, Roy did not transmute Nina's hair dark like his. She was born with black hair. But that would've been hilarious if Roy had done that. Talk about ego :P

SaFFLover: Aw, you broke? Twice? ...is it bad that I'm proud of myself for writing stuff that could do that to you?

KTrevo: Ed's like a picky eater, except he just has a picky conscience. And an aversion to milk.

PhantomhiveHost: Sometimes I wonder if I'm putting readers into therapy by writing emotional stuff. You did it to yourselves!

Juliana Black Lichtler: 'Nina alive and pregnant'- okay, got it in the bank. Haha. You took a test on Bovines? Like cows?

mixmax300: In an alternate universe, Nina would totally be a vampire. Think about it! She's pale and can't sleep through a full night :O

singerklainer333: Thanks! It's nice to hear you like them as both individuals and as a couple. I feel accomplished :D

AuthorChick96: Don't let your head explode! You won't be able to read the rest of the story!


	64. Chapter 64: Father's Day Special

Author's Note: I know it's a little late for Father's Day, but I'm nocturnal, so it's still Father's Day for me right now :)

* * *

Chapter 64: Father's Day Special

Edward Elric

Winry usually liked to start on dinner around the same time the kids got home from school, so it was Edward's job to bail Sophie out when she got held after. That girl was a stick of dynamite. Al joked that she'd already been lit and it was just a matter of when she'd blow. It wasn't even her fourth week in the third grade and she'd already made her teacher's blacklist. Ed had done it in two days when he was her age.

Ed walked up to the classroom uneasily. This new teacher of Sophie's did not sit well with him. She was a young teacher who didn't believe in young parents. There was no figuring her out. Just had to pretend he was listening until she gave him his daughter back.

The teacher opened the door for him and looked up with those beady green eyes and too much make-up. "Mr. Elric. Only fifteen minutes late this time."

Oh, dear God. What was her name again? "Hey…ma'am. What'd she do this time?"

The teacher stepped aside. "Come in."

Why did it feel like every time he walked into a classroom, suddenly he became a student? Ed came through, feeling weird about having a woman hold the door for him. She closed it behind like she was barring him in prison. Ed took a step forward across his old classroom. Still smelled like mold and bananas. The teacher came forward with him just enough to lead the way. Ed stopped as his eyes set on his daughter at her desk. And his son at his.

The teacher took a seat at her rectangular desk and folded one pasty leg over the other. "Mr. Elric, your son—"

"Why isn't he home with his mom yet?"

"Mr. Elric, take a seat."

Edward was already standing between his kids, listening to Maes breathe and getting the details from Sophie.

"The Newtons were supposed to give you two a ride so he wouldn't have to walk today," said Edward.

Sophie folded her arms and eyed the teacher. "Ms. Nelson told them Maes wasn't allowed to go with them because he was in trouble. I stayed to supervise."

Maes shrugged. "I can walk, Dad. I don't mind."

Edward looked at Ms. Nelson. Maes better have killed ten people to be locked up in detention like this with the weather so cold outside. "What happened?"

Ms. Nelson met his eyes coldly. "Take a seat, Mr. Elric."

Edward pulled up a desk and sat jammed between his kids. Sophie leaned against him like a daddy's girl. Edward looked at Maes then at the teacher. "So, Sophie really didn't do anything this time?"

Maes wrinkled his brow. "She beat up Robby again at lunch over the last apple."

"Hey, he threw the first punch!" said Sophie.

Maes nodded. "Yeah, he did, and he missed. Then you threw the second punch, and then the third, and the fourth, and the fifth, and the…"

Edward laughed, "That's my girl!"

Ms. Nelson cleared her throat. "We can discuss Sophie later." Jeez. The woman hadn't even known about what Sophie had done until Maes accidentally told on her. "While Maes hasn't been as blatantly defiant as his younger sister, his honesty has come into question on multiple accounts these past weeks."

"We're in a third grade classroom," said Edward. "Try dumbing it down for me. Are you saying you think Maes has been lying to you?"

"Cheating," said Ms. Nelson, "has become an issue. I've caught him looking at other students' papers during every quiz this week. Also, he's shown up tardy to class almost every day since school started. Today he went to lunch and didn't come back until halfway through Math. I understand that he is repeating the grade?"

Sophie stood in her seat. "Hey, that was because—"

Ed caught the look Maes was giving Sophie. She shut her mouth and sat back down like a seething soup pot. Ed met Maes's eyes, checking. He'd never seen Maes lie about a single thing in his life unless it was a lie denying pain or discomfort. "Hey, kiddo, what's going on?"

Maes looked away. Poor kid wasn't easy to intimidate, but he was ashamed of something here. "I cheated," he said quietly. "I cheated sixteen times. Three weeks of daily quizzes, and then Sophie's homework last night."

Ms. Nelson had a flash of victory come through her green eyes. Victorious because her student had resorted to cheating?

Sophie leaned forward in her chair. "But that's only because—"

Maes gave her the same look. She scowled and sat back. Ms. Nelson tapped her hand on her lap. "You understand that without academic honesty, Maes risks expulsion."

Maes kept his eyes down. Edward knew that look. It was the 'I'm sorry I'm different' look. He put his arm around Maes's bony shoulders like a supportive beam. "Want to tell me about it?"

Maes gave Edward a glance, then looked back up and held the gaze. "Ms. Nelson wouldn't grade my work because I got all the answers right and I never showed my work or wrote any notes. She said she was going to tell you and Mom I was a cheater and then the principle would kick me out of school." Maes looked away. "So I copied everyone else's work so I'd know which answers I was supposed to get wrong."

Edward looked at his son, then at the teacher. He met Sophie's furious eyes for a second and just couldn't help himself. He hugged Maes's shoulders tighter and cracked up, buckling over and laughing harder than was appropriate for a parent-teacher conference. Soon Sophie was giggling with him. Ms. Nelson looked pinched in the face. Maes watched Edward like he didn't know what was happening.

"You're not mad at me?" said Maes.

Edward patted his boy's back. "Are you kidding? I couldn't be prouder of you if I tried! Way to play the system, little man. How long did you say you've been pretending to be average without Ms. Nelson catching on?"

A smile of relief and comfort burst onto Maes's pale face. "Eight and seven-ninths of a day after my first day."

Ms. Nelson tapped her hand harder on her lap. She kicked her crossed leg back and forth like a nervous tick. "There is the issue of the multiple tardies and today's unexcused absence."

The smile dropped off Maes's face. He looked away, shrinking from Edward's arm. "That's my fault."

"No, it's not," said Sophie. Maes gave her the look. She ignored it this time. "No, it's not his fault! The halls are too long to get to our class and he loses his breath. He has to go slow or he'll have to go home."

Maes shrank deeper into his wooden seat. Edward held him tighter.

Ms. Nelson licked the lipstick of her teeth. "If Maes is feeling ill, he should go to the nurse's office immediately. Risking the other students' health with a contagion…"

"Shut up, would you?" Edward groaned. He turned to Maes. Poor guy looked like he wanted to disappear. "Maes? You want to tell me why you disappeared after lunch today?"

Maes kept his eyes down.

"If you don't say it, Sophie will."

He kept his eyes down. "I told her to go to class and tell the teacher I was in the bathroom."

"And were you?" asked Edward.

"For over an hour?" scoffed Ms. Nelson.

Maes nodded a small, self-conscious nod.

"Why?" asked Edward gently.

Maes swallowed. "I got a cough on my way to class…" He saw Ms. Nelson's eyes on him and trailed off. After a small moment of thinking about it, Maes reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his handkerchief with the old automail oil stain and a fresh smudge of red. "I couldn't stop coughing. I missed too much school last year when I tried the third grade, so I hid in the bathroom this time so Ms. Nelson wouldn't send me home. I'm sorry, Daddy."

Edward took the hanky from Maes and looked over it. Not all that bad. He'd only coughed up a little blood this time.

"Oh, my God!" said Ms. Nelson. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand. "He's got tuberculosis."

"No he doesn't, you nut-brain," said Sophie, rolling her eyes. She'd been waiting all her life to call a teacher 'nut-brain' to her face. She knew Daddy would back her up this time.

"Calm down, lady," said Edward, handing Maes his hanky back. "My kid's fine. He's just been pushing himself too hard. If you read a single page of the file my wife wrote for you, you'd know Maes's lungs don't hold up too well under stress. It's pretty damn cold out to be sending him all the way to the cafeteria for lunch."

Ms. Nelson gradually took her hand away from the bottom of her face. Jeez. This lady was up tight about everyone else, but she'd gone and slacked off on reading Maes's file.

Edward ruffled Maes's honey hair and Maes realized quickly that he wasn't in trouble. Edward sat back in his seat with an arm around each kid. "Listen, Ms. Nelson, you're new to Resembool, so I'll try not to call you a bitch to your face. I want us to be on the same page, so I'll go ahead and tell you that my son is smarter than you and you'll just have to come to terms with that. He's also sick, so you're going to cut him some slack. He also happens to love school for some reason, so you'll cut him as much slack as he needs and take it for granted that he isn't taking advantage. You have a problem with that, then I'll sic my wife on you. Mrs. Elric isn't half as understanding as Mr. Elric."

Ms. Nelson couldn't help but nod and just stay quiet as she frantically racked her brain to dominate again.

Edward stood and his children stood with him. Sophie got Maes's bag for him without having to be asked. They headed to the door. Edward took one more look at the teacher as his kids filed out in front of him. "Listen to Sophie. She's usually right."

"I'm always right," said Sophie with a smirk.

"Bye, Ms. Nelson," said Maes with a little wave, too forgiving and friendly as always.

The got a few door down the hall and Maes tugged on Edward's sleeve. Edward looked down. "What's up, kiddo?"

Maes looked up and Edward watched his mouth pant. Blood on a hanky meant very distressed lungs. With weather like this, Maes was certain to get a cold. It was a good thing they'd caught it early. At least they stood a chance of keeping it from turning into a bad cold.

"I think you," said Maes, "should pick me up."

"I think so too." Edward hunched and let Maes climbed onto his back. "Keep talking, buddy. You're so light I might just forget you're back there."

Sophie and Maes laughed together at that.

"Dad, that's no fair," said Sophie. "You always carry Maes."

Edward slowed. "You always say being carried is for babies."

"I haven't said that since I was eight."

"Sophie," said Maes with confusion in his voice, "you turned nine less than a month ago."

"Shut up, Maes."

Edward put his arms out to Sophie. "Come on, you big baby."

Sophie sulked. "You're already carrying Maes."

"Yeah, he's on my back," said Edward. "Dads are given a front and a back for a reason. To have multiple children hanging off them at once. My front is reserved for you."

Sophie looked at Edward like she really wanted to be picked up, but she was holding onto her pride just a little too tight. Edward flashed her a scary smile and scooped her up without asking. She let out an appreciative squeal. Edward felt Maes lean over his shoulder to laugh with Sophie.

"He's carrying you like you're a princess," said Maes, "and he's your prince."

"And you're riding him like you're a knight charging into battle." Sophie cackled. "And Dad's a horse!"

"Hey!" said Edward in mock offense. "That's not how it is at all. Sophie's not a princess. She's not that good at doing what she's told. Sophie's a queen. She does what she wants."

Sophie seemed to like the sound of that.

"Maes isn't a knight," said Edward. "Knights follow a code that's already written for them."

"Like the military," said Maes.

"That's right!" Edward loved how trained his children were at poking fun at Mustang's stupid military. "So, Maes, instead of a knight, you can be…"

"Fullmetal!" said Maes. "I can be Fullmetal because I'm small and then I can do what I want, too."

"You can't be Fullmetal, Maes," said Sophie. "If you're Fullmetal, then who's Dad supposed to be?"

Edward was about to say something about being Fuhrer of the Elric household, but Maes piped up first.

"Dad," he said, "is Dad. He's Dad because it doesn't matter what his orders are. He never does what he wants. He does what his kids want instead."

"What are you talking about?" said Sophie. "He wants the same as what we want. That's what it means to be a dad."

Edward laughed. "You know what I want?"

"To never drink milk again?" said Sophie.

"Me too," said Maes.

Edward stepped outside into the cool. Maes shivered against him. "What I want is for you two to stay kids forever." Edward felt a flash of shakiness run through him, the usual brief realization that this wasn't going to last. He caught Sophie staring up at him and realized his face had started to tighten. He cleared his throat. "Then you can keep repeating the third grade over and over until Ms. Nelson drops dead."

Sophie fell into laughter, digging her forehead into Edward's stomach and clinging tight to his jacket. Edward felt Maes laughing and coughing against him. Home wasn't far at all. It wouldn't be more than a five minute walk. Still, just a moment in that cold made Edward nervous for Maes.

"Hey, Dad," said Maes breathlessly, "I want that too. I want it to be like this forever, too."

"Me too," said Sophie.

"Well," said Edward, "works for me. I'm your Daddy, and all that boils down to is you can't get rid of me if you try. We're stuck with each other."

Edward felt Maes rest his head on the back of his neck sleepily. "Good," said Maes softly. "I really love my Dad."

"Dad loves you too," said Edward. "Dad's not going anywhere."

Roy Mustang

Nearly a year since Nina had been adopted and she was still wetting the bed. Apparently they never bothered to potty train her at the lab. Roy had told Riza to go on to the Command Center without him. She'd already been late changing sheets twice that month.

"Sorry, Daddy," Nina said. "I drank water before bedtime."

Roy switched the laundry machine onto permanent press. That's what Riza always had it on. "Hey, you can't help it if you're thirsty. Don't listen to your mom. You can drink water when you want, okay?"

Roy caught the wide-eyed look of pure happiness on Nina's face when she said, "Thanks tons!"

He ruffled her dark hair. It was still damp from her bath after waking up wet. He smiled back at her beaming grin and muttered to himself. "If Riza has a problem with it, I'll change the sheets every day until Nina's forty. My kid's spent too much of her life feeling thirsty."

Nina was almost four years old, but Roy was still stacking phonebooks on her chair for her to reach the table without standing on the seat. She'd weighed in at twenty five pounds at her last check up, so Riza had been stocking the fridge and pantries with high calorie food Roy was not allowed to touch. Still, every time he asked Nina what she wanted to eat, she always said the same thing.

"I want toast."

Roy sighed. "You want toast?"

Nina nodded happily and began to climb the phonebooks onto her seat. Toast had been the first thing Roy had ever made for her. He'd made it that first night after she'd been dropped off. Riza had planned on making Nina pancakes or something more fun, but Nina had started falling asleep, so Roy had made…toast. Burnt toast.

Roy looked around the fridge for the butter. "You want jam this time, sweetheart?"

"I don't like to go to Miss Gracia's home," said Nina. "I think I just want to go to work with you and Mommy again."

Damn. She was going to do that again. It was murder for Roy, having to look down into those wet blue eyes and tell her no. God knew it would be hard putting her in school next fall. Nina was friendly with everyone and Roy hadn't met a person who could resist his daughter yet, but there always came a point, that one tiny shift, when Nina would decide she wanted to be with her mommy and daddy again. And she had to be with them right then. It was like she was afraid Roy and Riza had left her behind and weren't coming back for her.

Roy set Nina's heavily buttered burnt toast in front of her and took the seat next to hers. She looked at it like she always did, like the first time Riza had told her she was allowed to eat when she was hungry.

"Thank you, Daddy," she said.

"You're welcome, Nina." He watched her pick up the charred bread and munch like she really did like it. She ate like a little hamster. Roy wasn't one to call things cute, but Nina was cute.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

Nina set her half-eaten toast down. "Your face's wrinkles are sort of sad."

Roy hated the word 'wrinkles.' He hated his daughter seeing through him even more. "Nina, you can't come to work with Mommy and Daddy. Not every day."

Nina nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Way too easy.

"Not every day." She picked up her toast. "So, not on Sunday."

Riza did this so much better. "Not today, sweetheart."

Nina dropped her toast and looked up. "Not today?"

God! Those wet blue eyes. "Not today."

Nina looked away and nodded. She took her toast shakily and just looked at it like she was considering bringing it with her as a memento of her long-gone father. "Okay," she said quietly. Now, that was more like her. She understood now.

The way she did that, the way she never argued or threw a fit, made it so much worse. She'd spent the first three years of her life being conditioned not to fight back. Roy almost wished she'd lose her temper sometime. Scream in the supermarket. Embarrass Riza at a nice restaurant. He knew Nina had it in her. She was just too afraid of what would happen if she let it out.

Nina set her toast down on her plate and climbed straight from her seat to Roy's. Roy put his arms out and helped her onto his lap. At least she wasn't afraid to ask to be held. She tucked her head under his chin like she was gearing up to take a nap. Roy knew full well. She'd fallen asleep in his arms almost as many times as she'd fallen asleep in her own bed.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Nina?"

She snuggled against his starched shirt with her buttery hands. "I think I want to marry you."

Roy choked on a breath. "Marry me?"

"Then I get to sleep in your bed every night and I can go to your work with you every day." Nina squirmed and stood in his lap with her hands steady on his shoulders. "And you will never make me go away."

The doctor said Roy and Riza had to treat Nina like a normal girl or she wouldn't assimilate. Nina had to have boundaries set for her or she'd never be forced to grow. The Mustangs had tried it. They'd gone by the doctor's advice for almost a year. As far as Roy could tell, Nina had already had plenty of boundaries beaten into her before she came to the Mustangs. The last thing she needed was to be denied comfort. Forget growing. She needed to feel safe enough to set down roots first.

"I'll make you a deal, Nina," said Roy. "If you will sit on my desk and lick stamps for my letters today, in fifty, maybe sixty years, I will pick out a husband for you to marry that's almost as good as me."

Nina brightened. "Yes, alright!" She slid her arms around Roy's neck and hugged him so fast that it choked him for a second. "Okay, I'll lick the stamps, and if my husband isn't almost as good as you, you can burn him alive!"

Roy couldn't help but smile. He liked the sound of that.

Nina giggled. "We can sleep in your bed with you and Mommy forever, okay?"

"We can talk about it in fifty years." Roy felt her thin little arms pulling around his neck. He kissed her soft cheek. "Maybe sixty."

* * *

Replies to Reviews:

Illovebooks: Fire's just dangerous and can't be controlled. It's like a deadly wild animal. It's pretty and useful, but I don't like getting too close.

very-chan: "Damn! I can't get a spark!" "Sorry, Roy. Your ego is drowning Central and you're useless when wet."

SavFFLover: I've actually tried all these corn things I've mentioned. All quite good, if you can believe that :P

mixmax300: If Maes took his shirt off, we wouldn't be looking at his shiny automail, haha!

pitstop96: Yep, poor Nina and Maes needed a break. I think Maes might've been on corn withdrawal (possible plot twist?)

Queen of Narnia49: Ha! Resurrect herself in time for the next update. That's awesome.

KTrevo: I love how revolutionary it is the moment Maes does something normal.

DanniMaeAnime92: Falling behind can be nice because then you get a chapter build up and you have more to read :)

MYcookies: Poor Nina needs to get used to corn-kisses.

Rozablood: Thanks! That's awesome. Haha, the consensus for shipping name has been 'Naes Cornstang.' Pretty badass, right?

Polarized Penmanship: Oh, Maes. He was almost normal for a second there. Then the corn muffins.

Hawkstang: Totally try doing daily drawings! They don't all have to take a long time. It's worked for my writing so far :D

PhantomhiveHost: Who doesn't love a cute little girl pointing out the obvious at a bad time? Haha :P

maana999: You are plowing through with a vengeance.

TheKingOfOkay: Yeah, I lived in Asia for a little while as a bitty kid and that's kind of what it smelled like on the sidewalk on a humid day.

'Guest': Wait, you MADE costumes? That's too cool! Do you know how to sew stuff?

Juliana Black Lichtler: One of my younger brothers took an ag class and he learned stuff about cows. It was funny. He printed out pictures of boots and glue.

purpleswans: It's a good thing they're cute. This story would be a real downer without that element :P

AlchemistLeigh95: Well, I'm the author, so I give my blessing. Maes will pick you up at seven. On his bright red bulldozer.


	65. Chapter 65: Make-up, Break-up, Screw-up?

Author's Note: Writing chapter...SURPRISE ROAD TRIP...get home late...post chapter VERY late...will be caught up in a few hours :S

* * *

Chapter 65: Make-up or Break-up or Screw-up

I groaned at Aunt Mei. Again. "This is going nowhere."

She stuck her hands on her hips. "You're not going to learn alchehestry overnight, Nina."

I sat back on the patio and threw my chalk into the grass. "Yeah, no kidding. I haven't learned a thing."

"Give it time to sink in."

"I meant that I already kind of just…know it already." I looked away as soon as I'd said it. I was sounding ungrateful.

"How could you already know?" Aunt Mei asked, dang skeptical. "Maes said the most you'd ever done with alchehestry was heal minor burns with a pre-drawn circle."

"I know, but that's beside the point. I have all this preexisting knowledge packed inside my brain from the Portal…"

Aunt Mei frowned with her lips looking sour on her face. "Alphonse saw enough of the Truth to cost him his body and he still had plenty to learn when he started alchehestry. Just keep an open mind."

"I saw practically thirty times as much of the Truth as your husband did!" I blurted. "I just know these things."

Dang. Why had I gone and said thirty? Now if she asked about my specific number choice, I'd look uneasy when I answered and she'd push the matter.

She had her hands overlapped on her pregnant tummy like she was holding the baby in her arms. Her eyes were genuinely concerned, which worried me. "Then why did you stay in Xing, sweetie?"

I sucked my lip. Tough question. It was for a lot of reasons, the main one being hard to talk about. With much of anyone. I hugged my knees and stared at the chalk smudged on the patio absentmindedly. "Dragon's Pulse is like the world's life-force. Alchemists use it and it just circulates and continues on its constant flow. Any alchemist can use it. That means it's a life-force I can use that I don't have to pay for." Bad word choice.

"You use life-forces all the time without paying for them, Nina," she said all reassuring. "It's your gift."

I sucked hard on my lip. "Just take my word on it. I want to figure this Dragon's Pulse out. I don't want anything else."

We'd been in Xing for almost two weeks and Maes and I were finally getting a move on. At least, we were supposed to be. Uncle Al had helped Maes understand the ins and outs of Human Transmutation for the automail, and now Maes was hard at work transmuting the human elements in with the iron foundation. Once that was done, Maes would transmute the metal into parts and build the parts into automail. He said he wouldn't need much longer than a few more days to finish. I'd usually say that was grandiose and blow off the prediction, but with Maes, I believed it.

I, on the other hand, had made virtually no progress. That was to say, I hadn't figured out an alternative to the progress I'd already made. Thinking back to all I'd learned in the past couple months, the horrible realities I'd stuffed away in my subconscious for so many years, I decided that maybe I'd made a little too much progress. I kind of just wanted to forget it all and go back to being the sheltered sweetheart of Amestris. At least, I wanted to forget about the alchemy parts.

I was being frantic. I knew I was. Every time Mei tried to teach me something, I ended up deciding on the spot it wouldn't save Uncle Ed or split Ling's Philosopher's Stone, so I'd disregard it and quit. I wasn't looking to become a great alchemist. I just wanted something that could help me manipulate life-forces without having to use up my own to do it.

And, of course, there was nothing. Made perfect sense. If there had been a way to manipulate life-forces without a vast knowledge of the Truth and the help of a Philosopher's Stone, alchemists would've been abusing the power a long time ago. That was what Uncle Ed had been afraid of. Well, it was his lucky day, because it turned out he was afraid for nothing. I was the only one with the power to save him. Me and my friends were the only ones with the power to save him. No one else had what I had. Yay.

I went into the grass and retrieved my thrown chalk. It just seemed bitchy to make Aunt Mei bend over and get it herself with how pregnant she was. I set it in the box with the other chalk and gave Aunt Mei an appreciatory hug. "Thank you for trying, Aunt Mei, but I think I'm done."

"Nina…"

"I'm done," I said. I rocked on my heels on the stone patio. "I'm not interested in being an alchemist right now. That was never the point. This stuff you're teaching me is pretty much awesome, but it doesn't mean anything. Not now. Maybe later."

Aunt Mei came close to me and took my hand like a professional mom. She looked at me with her big dark eyes all concerned and sad. "Nina, it's obvious something been bothering you since you had that nightmare two weeks ago. Now, I won't make you tell me anything. Maes made me promise not to bug you about it. But you know I'm here, right? I'm a mom. I'm a safe person to talk to."

Her hands were warm and a little cool at her fingertips. My mom's hands got that way after she'd been at the shooting range. I kind of just wanted to get a good mommy-hug out of Aunt Mei, just to have that for a second, but I chickened out and pulled away instead.

"Thanks," I said. "I'll keep you in mind."

I saw Aunt Mei's mouth synch up to say my name in concern again, so I turned around and snubbed her before she could. I went inside. The Elric house was big, no joke, but it had a lot of people living in it. It was hard to find a way to be alone. I had to find someplace secluded right quick before any of the triplets spotted me.

"Nina!" Too late.

I looked down. "Hi…Trisha?"

She giggled. "I'm Ming, silly."

"Sorry," I said. Usually I could kind of tell them apart. "I'm a little off today."

"Yeah, you've been off every day," said Ming.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Nina, want to play dollies with me?" Hey big gold eyes got bigger and rounder. "Trisha and Jun went swimming without me so we have all the dolls to ourselves."

I'd apparently freaked out the first time my mom gave me a doll to play with. I'd never even seen one before I was three. I thought the thing was a real person and started screaming that it wasn't breathing. Ah, yes. Dolls.

"Empress Nina's got a lot of work to do," I said, like I actually planned on doing any of it. "Maybe later."

I heard the back door creak behind me as Aunt Mei came on inside behind me. I patted the top of Ming's head and started out the kitchen.

"Nina?" Aunt Mei called after me. "You hungry, sweetie?"

"Very much not," I said from down the hall. "Thanks anyway."

I fled to the living room, which had become my home away from home. The place I usually sat on the sofa practically had an indentation of my butt on it. I sat down and tried to settle down, tried my best not to think.

"Can't help Ling," I said to myself. I tilted my head back and stared numbly at the ceiling. "Just can't."

I'd finally had to stop feeling for my life-force every day and listening to the dumb souls trapped inside. My twenty remaining friends kept shifting themselves around, trying to figure out which ones of them wanted to be used up on who. A lot of the girls liked Ling and Lan Fan's story. They wanted to do what they could to keep them together. Everyone had some reason to help Uncle Ed. He was a hero, he was a great guy, he was Maes's dad. Everyone wanted to help.

They were inside me, lining up to die. Of course, they didn't see it like that, but too bad. That's how it was, and I wasn't going to be the designated executioner. I just wasn't. If I could help it.

I heard his footsteps. I'd memorized them by now. Kind of heavy like he was tired more than deliberate, but a padded bounce at the end when he lifted his foot, like he built up momentum for each step.

"Aunt Mei says you stormed off again," said Maes. He came around the couch and sat next to me. His usual spot no matter where we were.

"I didn't storm off," I sulked. "I ran away."

He nodded.

I sighed in frustration. "Storming of more or less implies anger, you got me?"

"Running away implies fear."

Damn. Me and my word choice. "I suck at life."

Maes laughed. "You are amazing at life."

I didn't say anything.

Maes sank. "But, I guess I wouldn't know. You don't want to talk about it."

Of course I wanted to talk about it! He just couldn't know that. No one could. That I'd been using a Philosopher's Stone all this time.

"Nina," he said, "can you even look me in the eye anymore?"

I met his eyes immediately, kind of out of defiance more than anything else. I instantly retracted my gaze. Eyes were the windows to the soul, right? Well, his soul was damn nervous and upset and it almost blinded me looking at it.

I hated to think what kind of soul he saw through my eyes. What kind of souls.

"You can't, can you?" he said. He sighed. "Nina, I know I told you that you didn't have to talk about it, but…"

"There's nothing to talk about." Quick on the draw.

His hand grabbed my hand. It tightened so I could just barely feel it. I'd expected Maes to argue. All he did was sit back and hold my hand.

After a minute of silence between us, I finally just spoke up with a quiet, "Maes?"

His eyes were forward like he was looking at something I couldn't exactly see. He breathed in. He breathed out. He let go of my hand. "You're going to go home as soon as my dad's better, aren't you?"

"I…" I'd been about to tell him I'd stay with him in Resembool for a while like we'd talked about as a possibility. Something about how my heart raced too fast at the thought made me close my mouth.

I thought about reaching to take his hand again, but he folded his arms before I could make a move. "So, it finally happened. You finally decided you liked things better the way they were."

"I didn't say that," I said. Though, it was kind of exactly true. Mostly. "Sure, I'm homesick, but it's not like I'm sorry I met you." Just sorry that you got me involved and it all got screwed up before the end of the first month.

"I know," said Maes. "But it's been two weeks that you've come to breakfast with pink marks at the corners of your mouth and red under your eyes. You've been gagging yourself before bed every night to keep the hanky from slipping out. You've been crying in your sleep. Two weeks, Nina, and every morning you tell me you slept better than the night before. I asked you not to lie to me. I trusted you not to. I'm not an idiot. I'm losing you."

I did a double take. "Losing me? Where the hell did that come from?"

"Don't play that way, Nina." He was frowning at me. Since when did Maes look at me so freaking betrayed? "Don't waste my time arguing about the obvious. On our first serious conversation, we told each other what we were afraid of. That was when we decided to trust each other." Maes forced eye contact. It almost hurt to look at him. "So, the moment you stop telling me when you're afraid, the moment you start lying to me and telling me you're not, that's the moment you stopped trusting me. That's the moment you decided to put up barrios so I couldn't reach you."

Kind of a little bit true. "That's not it at all!"

Maes broke eye contact and stood. He shook his head slow, almost like he didn't believe what was going down. "It's scary. It's terrifying, you know? Trusting someone who doesn't trust you. It makes you wonder if they really are as on your side as you thought. And, if they find it so easy to lie to your face now, how many times were they lying to your face before?"

He walked around the couch toward the door. My knees snapped up and I whirled around. "Maes!"

He stopped. He dared to look over his shoulder at me. His face didn't look so expectant as it did ready for disappointment. Not a great motivator. He stared at me and waited for what I had to say. But I couldn't think of anything encouraging that wasn't a lie.

After I'd stood there silent for a minute or so, he finally just gave up waiting and turned away. "I love you to pieces, Nina, but you weren't afraid when I first met you, and if I'm what's doing this to you, maybe you going back to the way things were for a while might be better for you when this is over."

He left. I let him leave. All I had to say was stuff I wouldn't say.

"Did he just…dump me?"

* * *

REPLIES!

very-chan: Maes has to just be oblivious to half the stuff that goes on. I think he'd be bitter like the rest of us otherwise.

PhantomhiveHost: Funny how it looks when you stack coming-of-age next to Hallmark-parent-child-material.

SavFFLover: Yep, dad's are good at expressing love in every way but straight forward. On average. Just one of their charms.

mixmax300: I've had teachers like Ms. Nelson. You just gotta know how to deal with them. They don't know how to be fuzzy, poor things. Have fun at camp!

Juliana Black Lichtler: Hm. Interesting indeed. Father's Day is the same here as it is in the UK, but mother's day is different in the US than the UK. My mom used to get double holidays when we were living in London since we still acknowledged the US Mother's Day cuz of relatives in the US.

pitstop96: When I was a little kid, I thought I was married to my dad. I slept in my parents' bed every night until I was three, if I could help it.

KTrevo: Yep, you see Maes do something normal and you're like, "Oh my gaw! He's being weird again! What's wrong?"

Awsome anon: Haha! My sibs and I used to make noise at restaurants and climb under tables. Didn't find out until I was older that my mom had been embarrassed of us that whole time.

AlchemistLeigh96: This is driving me nuts. When reviewers say I made them cry, are they serious? Or is it a figure of speech? On average, I only cry two or three times in a year, so I get irrationally skeptical when people say they cried over something like writing or a movie or whatever.

long live marshmallows: When Nina was held at the lab in Drachma before Roy and Riza adopted her, her given name was 'Subject 21.' There were twenty nine other subjects (from one to thirty) just like her, but she was the only subject to survive. The other twenty nine were bonded to her life-force. Seven, Nine, Twenty-eight, were all different subjects from the lab whose souls were transferred into Nina when she was a little girl. Does that help?

AuthorChick96: I should've given Roy and Ed real brats for kids. That would be fun to write.

Polarized Penmanship: Aw, I was the one out of town for Father's Day. But I got to see my daddy today, at least.

Hawkstang: HA! I can see it all now, Husband: "'Dad', you're hogging the covers." Dad: "I'm not your dad! Get out of my bed!"

otakgirlyy: Dang! I wish I could do that sort of stuff. Maybe I should take a class...

MYcookies: Well, Ed practically raised Al, and Al turned out pretty good haha!

DanniMaeAnime92: I thought my schedule would be easier to keep when break came, but it turns out break is more hectic than school!

maana999: WOW! You're way close! (is the '999' in maana999 referring to the emergency number in UK?)

Harryswoman: You thought they were awesome? Awesome!


	66. Chapter 66: Worse and Worser

Author's Note: Gah! So off schedule! Catching up :)

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Chapter 66: Worse to Worser

I pushed my cut up bits of chicken and broccoli around in my bowl. Rearranging, not eating. That's how meals had been going for me. Watching the food and feeling sick until someone said something. Then I'd force-feed myself until they were all appeased somewhat and I'd spend more or less the next fifteen minutes trying not to upchuck. Wasn't like I was ill. Just on self-destruct.

"Nina, is something wrong with your food?" asked Uncle Al with that really comforting 'I was born to be a daddy' voice of his. "I haven't seen you put a bite in your mouth."

Everyone at the table was looking at me the same way. Even the little girls had noticed things hadn't been right between me and Maes the past few days. All that pity and worry again, like they knew exactly what was going on. The look on Maes's face was the worst, because the heaviness in his eyes gave away how much he wanted me to tell him what was wrong so he could tell me it would be okay.

"Nothing's wrong with it," I said. I stabbed a piece of chicken with one of my chopsticks. "Just waiting for it to cool."

"It's not hot now, Nina," said Ming. All three girls were almost done.

"Thanks, Ming." I looked at the chicken instead of Maes. I'd lied again. It made things worse every time. The chicken stared me in the face and I felt my stomach lurch. It looked great, but all I could think about was drinking blood off white grass.

"Nina, are you alright, sweetie?" asked Aunt Mei.

I looked up from my food. "What?"

"You looked upset."

Maes was still watching me with those heavy eyes. He wasn't even eating anymore. Had his chopstick sitting right on the table. I gripped my stick and bit the chicken off the end. I tried to make my face appreciative while I chewed. It was dang lovely chicken, but my mind kept telling me, 'Nina eats meat, people are meat, meat makes blood, Nina drinks blood, Nina drinks people…'

I swallowed it down hard, fighting against a shudder. My stomach flopped. I closed my eyes and put my hand on my mouth. I counted to ten. Subject Ten wanted to help Ling and Lan Fan more than anyone. I gulped. I said my ABCs in my head instead of counting.

"Nina," said Maes. He said it so freaking commanding, like he wasn't even asking if I was alright. He already knew I wasn't.

I opened my eyes, uncovered my mouth, and forced a pretty natural smile. I was too good at looking okay. Maes was too good at knowing I wasn't.

"I'm just tired," I said. "I'm a slow eater." No, not at all.

"So, Maes," said Aunt Mei kind of awkward, "Edward's going to call again tonight?"

Uncle Al spoke up. "Well, he calls me every night to check in anyway, so he'll want to talk to Maes about Nina's automail some more."

My stomach did another turn. Why did they have to call it 'Nina's' automail?

Maes shifted forward in his seat to get conversational. "Actually, we've really come far over the past few days. Nothing has to be too intricate, since once Nina's bound the automail to Dad's preexisting organs, the automail should just adapt to replace what's been damaged. All we really had to do was figure out the right compositions for the metal and the basic design for it to function inside of dad. Since we got all the plans down, building it's been a cinch."

"Can we come see?" said Jun.

"When it's done," said Uncle Al.

"When?" I heard myself say.

Uncle Al blinked. "You can come see whenever you want. You're the head of this project."

I shook my head. "When will you be done?"

"Well," said Uncle Al, "that actually depends a lot on you. See, there a lot of minor things we have to tweak before the automail is useable and we'll want your opinion on it before we…"

"It'll be ready tomorrow," said Maes.

The room got silent. I felt really completely sick.

Aunt Mei folded her hands over her belly, really full of joy. "Tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" said Trisha.

Ming slumped in her chair. "And then you're going home?"

Maes couldn't help but smile. "Yeah."

I dropped my chopsticks on the table. They rolled off onto the ground. I scooted out from the table. "I have to go." I stood.

"Nina," said Ming, "you dropped your chopsticks."

I absolutely ignored her. I pushed my chair back in catawampus and walked away from the table fast. Didn't bother to ask to be excused.

Ming called after me as I rushed away. "Nina, you dropped—"

"She knows," said Maes. I heard his chair scooting out.

As I hurried on down the hall to the triplets' room where I'd been staying, I kind of really hoped Maes was getting up to take his bowl to the sink and not to chase after me. Although, it would've been really incredibly nice if he did chase after me. He hadn't been doing that lately.

I slipped into the bedroom and shut the door behind me like second nature. The room was kind of dark since it was getting dusky out and the girls had pink and green curtains all over their windows blocking out most of the light. I didn't bother turning on the lights. I just went straight to my mattress on the floor and tried not to be sick.

It would be ready tomorrow. The automail was done.

It couldn't have been two minutes before the door knocked at me. I rolled onto my side with my stare to the wall. The door knocked again. I curled up and thought about hiding under the covers. The door knocked.

"Nina?" said Maes. "Answer me or I'll think something's wrong and I'll barge in on you."

I kind of liked the idea of Maes barging in. "It's not locked," I said.

There was a small pause, then the door opened and Maes stepped through. He looked through the dim and met my eyes. Of course, I looked away. He sighed and closed the door behind him. "Can I turn on the lights?"

"Sure."

Maes flicked the lights on. I sat up and leaned my back on the wall. It felt weird laying there with him watching me. Maes took a seat on Trisha's bed across from me. He leaned forward with his elbows rested on his knees and his chin set on his fist. I could pretty much feel his gazing boring down on me and it wasn't pleasant.

"You've lost weight," he said.

"Yep." I wasn't going to try to argue on that one.

Maes's expression crinkled up a little in distress. "Because of what I said to you?"

"Nope."

His expression kind of melted out of distress and darkened. He leaned forward more, pretty much hunching. "Because of something you won't tell me about?" I didn't answer. Maes breathed kind of frustrated. "And you're going to just let it eat you alive?"

I looked at my knees. "Guess so."

"I don't get you," he said. "I've told you the darkest secrets the Elric family has to offer. I've told you stuff my own parents don't know about. Whatever you're dealing with isn't going to scare me away."

"It really isn't even about that at all."

"Then what's it about? Nina, you took the sidelines on helping my dad without any explanation. You stopped talking to me beyond jokes and small talk. You lie to me on a regular basis. Now you're starving yourself. Clearly whatever's on your mind is too much for you to handle."

I frowned at him because he was dumb. "I am not starving myself. I tried to eat. I try every time. Give me some credit, okay?"

Maes shook his head. "What's happening to you?"

The way he said it like I wasn't his Nina, like I was a different Nina, really pierced. I hugged my knees tight to my chest. "You lied to me from the first time we met." I forced myself to look at him just a little. "You told me you wanted me to come with you because you really liked me. Turned out you just needed someone to save your dad. I didn't whine and complain about it. I didn't play the victim. I told you I was sorry he was dying and I promised to do what I could to help him. I understood why you kept the truth from me. Could you maybe just take my word for it when I say I've got a good reason for keeping the truth from you, too?"

Maes rocked back and sighed harshly. "It's not the same. We were just friends back then, practically acquaintances. Don't you see how much worse it is when we're supposed to be a couple?"

"Come on, Maes." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "We've always been a couple. Lying is lying, acquaintance or girlfriend. You're not listening. You're just feeling."

"I'm not listening?" Maes smiled bitterly. Oh, Nina. Poor word choice again. "How would you know if I was listening? You never talk. Look, I thought if I left you alone for a while you'd snap out of it on your own, but every day is worse than the last for you. I can see your bones through your skin. Let's just get it out there nice and solid that what I'm looking at right now is whether saving my dad is worth killing you. If things keep going like the way they are…I'm sending you home early."

"That's stupid!" He was bluffing, right? "We're almost there. I'm fine, Maes. Let's save your dad."

Maes looked completely like he was crushed. "Whatever alchemy I've helped you uncover for my dad's sake…it's destroying you. Don't think I don't see it. I love my dad, but I love you, too. You're not going to keep hurting yourself for him. I'll send you home and try to figure out the alchemy for his automail myself before I let you risk yourself like that."

"You can't do it. No one can," I blurted. I instantly receded back on into myself.

"I'll do what I can." Maes sighed. "Either you let me help you or you're going home. I'm toxic to you right now."

'I.' That was all he talked about. Him, him, him. Everything went back to him. He wasn't there when I was stuck in that living hell in Drachma. He wasn't even born. He'd had hardship. He'd had pain. One thing he didn't know about, though, was what real Truth was. He hadn't seen anything. He didn't know and I hoped he never would. I missed lies. I wanted all those lies back. He kept demanding the truth from me, but he didn't know what he was asking. He referred to all my problems like he was somehow a part of them, like he was involved in every part of me. I could have knocked the wind out of him for getting angry like it was his business.

I couldn't take it. I'd trusted him even when I'd known he wasn't going to say it all out loud. All it took for him to quit trusting me was for me to tell him I was okay a couple times when I wasn't. Maybe I wasn't the one with trust issues. Maybe he should've trusted that he didn't need to stick his nose into this, that I'd ask for help when I needed it. Maybe he should've shut the hell up about how hard this was on him and gone ahead and held me without asking why I needed him to.

"I wish you'd mind your own business," I said. I met his eyes and he stared back with kind of a hurt glare. I could feel the bitter, pint-up frustration in my scowl. "You talk like you have a right to every kind of suffering just because you've had your fair share. It doesn't matter what you know. You can't help me, dumbass. Quit talking like you can. It makes my stomach turn."

Maes got this depth to his eyes like a blazed up gold fire. He stood up off the bed. "You don't get to say stuff like that. Your dad's in Central sitting back and eating bonbons while he waits for you to come home. My dad hasn't been able to get out of bed in three days. He might not be there anymore by the time I get home!" Maes glared hard at the floor. "I'm sorry about how alchemy has been affecting you, but it doesn't matter how horrible your dreams get. You still get to wake up from your nightmares."

I didn't cry. Didn't come close. Didn't scream at him or give him a nasty look. Didn't try to apologize or fix it. I just smiled and rested my hand protectively on my chest. "You can pretty much get the hell out of here."

Maes looked to the side, one of those looks like he'd just remembered himself too late. "Nina, I didn't mean…"

I clutched tight over my pounding heart. "Now."

* * *

REPLIES!

pitstop96: Haha, 'it's not you. it's me,' would be so perfect!

singerklainer333: Don't worry. I've said this before, but I hate unsatisfying endings.

Red-Hot Habanero: Nina's not too good at doing what she's told...

otakgirlyy: Yeah, they've been doing stuff in the wrong order.

KTrevo: If Nina was the guy in this story, everyone would be on her side. Black hair. Blue eyes. She'd be hot.

verry-chan: Nina needs to tell someone so she won't go insane.

Rozablood: AW! That's so sweet. Now I feel bad for getting off my schedule sometimes...

SavFFLover: 'Ominous future'! I love that.

maana999: Yay! You caught up!


	67. Chapter 67: The Whole Truth

Author's Note: Okay, so a while back **Ginger Kaga** asked if I wanted to do a co-fic on the side of 'Flame Legacy' about Ed and Winry and how they worked out their love story. I said yes! It's called **'The Next Step in Life'** and it goes hand in hand with 'Babysitting the Boss Guy' and 'Flame legacy.' Think of it as 'Babysitting the Boss Guy' was the prequel to Nina in 'Flame Legacy', so 'The Next Step in Life' is the prequel to Maes in 'Flame Legacy.' The first chapter is posted already, so check Ginger Kaga out :D

* * *

Chapter 67: The Whole Truth

Ready today. The two words echoed in my scull, pounding against my ears, forcing me to breathe choppy. Ready today. It was ready today. Uncle Ed's automail organs were ready today.

I didn't go to breakfast with the girls because I knew everyone would be talking about the automail. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to eat and Aunt Mei would've made me eat anyway. I didn't need to eat to feel sick. The automail was ready. That was enough to make my stomach flop. We were ready to go to Resembool and save Uncle Ed. In a matter of days I would be losing friends' souls. I didn't know how many yet.

I curled under my covers and tried to sleep the morning away. I kind of wished Maes was sitting on the floor next to my mattress watching me, touching my hair so I'd know I wasn't nightmaring alone. Dumb to wish that at this point.

It wasn't his fault, more or less. He really didn't know what he was talking about at all, but how was he supposed to know that. Even Maes Elric wasn't one to consider my soul of souls as a possibility. I'd done a good job at keeping it that way, too. Maes could usually see through me, but he couldn't read minds. He had no way of knowing how off his views were on this one.

Still, it bugged the living junk out of me that he wouldn't just leave it alone, just take my word for it and drop it. Seriously, I got that it drove him nuts to see be shutting down without knowing how to help me, but him knowing wasn't going to help me either. All in all, I was screwed no matter what went down.

It really actually would've been absolutely nice if I hadn't had to be alone with all this life-force stuff on my shoulders, but, in the end, it was better for Maes that I keep the issue to myself. If I spilled about my life-force being made of a Philosopher's Stone, the facts would interfere with getting Uncle Ed better. He might refuse to have his life-force joined to the automail if he found out I'd be using souls to do it. As if spending my friends' souls on the project wasn't hard enough without Uncle Ed protesting.

Plus, Maes claimed he wasn't going to be shocked or put off at whatever secret I was keeping, but he was out of his league. There was no way, just none, that he could see me the same once he knew I was a soul-user. Once he knew I'd used them on him. Maes was Maes, but even he wouldn't be able to get past murder without looking twice. He'd always been so proud and bragged to people about my alchemy. He'd had so much freaking faith in me. Turned out I was just a big fat disappointment with a Philosopher's stone on the side. He thought he was disappointed now. He had no clue.

I wanted to make up. Duh. I really wanted to. Poor guy didn't mean what he said. I'd known it when he'd said it. Just the hurt in his eyes was enough to tell me he was speaking from fear. He'd been losing his dad for the past six years and now he felt like he was losing me. It wasn't fair of me to expect him to act like daisies and roses when I started flaking out after all I'd said about being there for him. His life was coming down and I'd kind of been the last beam propping it up. His words last night were mild compared to what most people in his situation would have said.

But every time I'd just about decided to pop out of bed and tell him I was out of line, I'd find my hand warming my chest where I could feel my heart's pulse and I'd get angry at Maes for finishing the automail.

The door knocked. Dang. The door knocked again. The girls didn't knock, so it had to be Uncle Al, Aunt Mei, or Maes. I didn't know which one I wanted to go the hell away the least. "Nina?" Okay, it was Uncle Al. I realized I was just a little relieved. "Nina, it's one in the afternoon."

I stood up out of the covers and dragged myself to open the door. I peeked out, still in my rumpled up nightgown and my hair messy. "What do you want?"

Uncle Al smiled, practically beamed at me. He was standing too tall. His eyes were sparkling too bright. It left my stomach feeling sour. Something wasn't right.

"Mei told me to let you sleep, but it's been two hours, so…" Uncle Al actually let out a chuckle like he was telling jokes in his head. "Are you well rested? You think you could come now?"

I paused. "What?"

"The automail!" he said all exuberant. "Maes finished putting the last of it together before lunch. It's ready for you to inspect."

I felt dizzy. Heavy in the knees. I gripped the doorframe. "He finished?"

"Yeah!"

I bit down on my lip, muffling some sudden heaving breaths. "Now?"

"If you can," he said. "You should see what Maes came up with. Of course, they're just first drafts. You get to say what won't work. But wow. My nephew's smarter than me and my brother combined."

I pulled my lip from my teeth. "Lead the way."

Uncle Al grinned excitedly and led.

I'd look at it like I knew what I was looking at. I'd tell them it was fine. I'd look, then I'd put it down. No alchemy or life-force action involved. Not even going to risk it. Just going to look, say good job, then go to Resembool to kill my friends. Turn twenty souls into something less. Okay.

Uncle Al held the office door open for me like a perky gentleman. I walked on in. Maes sitting at the desk holding a cluster of different dark metal parts fused into what I assumed was automail. There were a lot of them, five, all exactly the same looking, more or less. Funny, I'd thought we were doing different organs, not mass-produced balls of gears.

Maes looked at me and put on a hesitant half-smile. So completely Maes. So ready to not be at odds. I wanted to smile back, to make things a little less at odds myself, but I couldn't even force it. Those five dark balls of automail. They were five automail machines ready to suck the souls out of my palms.

"I talked to my mom," said Maes, "and we finally decided on going with simple models that could perform basic functions rather than attempt detailed replicas of individual organs. Your transmuting the automail to adapt to the preexisting organs should take care of all that."

"Sure," I said, my words feeling weak in me. "I mean, your automail helps you breathe, but it's not like it looks like lungs."

"Exactly," said Uncle Al excitedly. I wanted to smack the excitement off his dumb face. This was nothing to be excited about!

I took a breath. "It looks great."

"I'm surprised you can even see it from where you are," said Maes. He leaned in his seat and beckoned me on over to the desk. "Get over here. I think you'll be proud."

I shuffled over, literally dragged my feet. Uncle Al put his hand on my back like I needed help finding me way. I fought to tolerate it. It was hard enough going on my own. I didn't need to be rushed, dammit!

I stared down at the automail, not really balls after all. More like uniform blobs, way more lopsided than what could be called spherical. Had to admit, they were delicately made. Every part had been transmuted by hand and Maes hadn't cut corners. All over the things were woven wires under bowed sheathes, tiny gears over sockets, under tiny tubes. Every part of the automail was smoothed and rounded to almost looking cuddly. As short a time as it would stay metal inside Uncle Ed, Maes had been careful to keep the automail proof from tearing or puncturing his vulnerable insides.

On each piece of automail was a poked out bit with two rounded nubs that looked like they needed to be plugged into something or whatever. Maes pointed to these. "Automail typically requires a dock in order for it to be attached to a person's body. The dock allows the person's automail a connection sight to their nerves to power and control function. Instead of using a dock, you'll be connecting the automail to my dad with his life-force. These two sockets just act as a guide to channel his life-force to the points the dock would usually target."

I nodded. I wasn't going to try speaking unless I had to. The automail looked way advanced and gorgeous. Maes had done his homework. This stuff was perfect. It would work.

Uncle Al took one of the machines off the desk and handed it out to me. "Take a look, Nina."

I didn't receive it. I kind of just stared. It was like a part of me was afraid if I touched the automail, the souls inside me would start disappearing all at once. I sucked my lip.

"You want to hold it yourself?" Maes asked.

I thought about saying no. I mean, I really didn't want to touch it at all. I didn't even want to look at it. I didn't want to be in the room with it. I wanted to go back to bed and sleep the rest of the day away. Maybe miss the train back to Resembool. Maybe give up on myself even more than I already had.

Uncle Al shoved the automail at me. "Nina?"

I kept my eyes on it. With shaky arms that didn't feel all the way quite there, I cupped my hands under the automail and let Uncle Al drop it into my grasp. It jerked my shoulders down. It was heavier than it looked. So smooth it was almost slick. Like a dead heart in my hands waiting to be shocked back into beating. I tightened my hands around it.

"I will help your dad," I said. "I will help him. I will help. I will…" I rotated the automail to the two sockets where I'd be sending my friends' souls to go and not come back. "I will help Uncle Ed. I swear I'll do it. I'll…" My grip on the automail tightened. "I'll…"

My eyes scrunched closed. I was holding the automail so tight my fingers hurt. I breathed fast through my nose with my mouth closed and my teeth clenched and grinding. I shook my head as twenty nine tiny laughs echoed in my ears, twenty nine voices cried 'Twenty-one!' Their beat-up faces smiled like they were happy for no reason. They ran around and played chase in the white grass. Their beating hearts pounded in my head. The taste of their blood stayed in my mouth. My stomach wrung itself in knots.

"I'll use these to…" I opened my eyes to the automail in my hands. "These are perfect. They'll work great. You don't need to change a thing. We can go right now. We can leave here and go save Uncle Ed right now."

"You did it, Maes!" Uncle Al sounded like he was ready to applaud.

"Let's think it through," said Maes, nothing less of optimistic. "Automail's a surgery. Transmutations aside, this is a major surgery we're planning. We need to call mom so she can start…"

The metallic crunch and snap of important wires and springs crashed through the calm as I smashed the automail against the corner of the desk.

I heard one of them say my name and then the other said my name, too. I swung back and smashed it again, so hard that it more or less crumbled into broken detached bits that slipped through my fingers onto the floor. I felt sharply bend edges cut my hand as I clenched my fist around the remains.

Uncle Al looked like he'd tackle me. Maes was saying something and he was shoving past Uncle Al to get to me. My arm wasn't paying attention. I snapped my arm back and threw the scraps of automail across the room at the wall, leaving tiny smudges of Nina-blood where it hit. I moved around the desk from Maes and swept the rest of the automail onto the floor. As it clattered down, my body dropped to its knees. I heard their voices all over the place mixing with the voices in my head and all I saw was four remaining dead hearts.

"Let go!" my voice shrieked, and my conscious realized hands were on me trying to yank me up. My arms strained against them. The crook of an elbow hooked my waist and tried to hold me back. I realized my body was fighting to stay down. My arms were fighting to swing out. No, they were fighting to swing together. I couldn't tell if they were yelling or if I was yelling.

The arm pulled me. Other arms pulled the automail away from in front of me. My hands clapped so loud it hurt my ears. My fingers spread. They brushed the floor. Red currents ran through the floorboards and found the four remaining automail organs. In a flash of red light, the automail shattered from within and erupted into broken shards that sprayed like low altitude fireworks. My body slackened and the arms jolted me back like it still would've made a difference.

"Oh, God!" Uncle Al was saying. "Maes—"

"Go check on Aunt Mei. The automail can wait." His grip on me tightened and I found myself fighting it.

"But…" Uncle Al was babbling something. I pulled against Maes's arms. They held me like a cage. I'd been in places like cages. I didn't like cages. The sound of the door shutting startled my senses. My eyes looked around and Uncle Al was nowhere. I jerked one final tug and Maes's arms loosened up and let me escape.

My bare feet hit sharp metal pieces as they staggered toward the closed door, my cut toes remembering the sound of every shattering dead heart. I'll fix him. I save Uncle Ed. I will. I promised, right? I had my hand on the door knob and my palm smudged a little blood on it like a leaking pen. I turned the knob and the door unlatched. Maes stood over me and pushed the door closed with my hand still on the knob. I put my other hand on the knob and tugged the door with my full weight.

"Go away!" my voice yelled.

"I'm not…" Not all his words were getting into my head. He was babbling. "…aren't going to…Please, calm…Nina?"

I kept pulling all frantic, but he held it closed with one hand. He was trapping me.

"Can't let him die!" I said. "Can't decide!"

My arms swung out again, preparing to transmute a Nina-sized hole into the door. Maes took my hands in his like handcuffs and held me from clapping them together. I struggled, practically thrashed.

"Nina, look at me."

"I can't!" My voice was getting a break in it.

"Nina…"

"Let go!"

Maes's hands forced my body into his arms and he held me like he didn't even notice I was fighting. I could feel his chest huffing like he was breathless. I could feel the points in his automail against my struggling body. I could feel it moving smooth. I could feel him breathing strong.

"Nina?"

My muscles relaxed at once. My body leaned against him and I tilted my face to rest my forehead close to him automail. All of me was starting to tremble. I closed my eyes and felt him breathe. "Seventeen," I whispered. He was breathing because of Seventeen.

Maes's grip on me turned not so constraining and more just gentle. After a minute, he let me have my hands back and I touched his chest and pretended Seventeen and Twenty-eight were still alive inside his body.

"Nina," he said, "tell me everything."

"Can't."

"Tell me anyway."

I wanted to.

"Tell me, Nina."

But if I told…What would happen if I told, again?

"Nina, please."

"I…" My mouth extinguished the words for me.

Maes sighed really disgruntled. "I'm sorry I said what I did last night." His arms reshaped to cuddle me like he was holding a little kid. "I've never been that mean to anyone in my life. I'm getting useless. It's my fault. I'm just…Everything keeps getting worse every time I try to make it better. I should never have drawn that life-force transmutation circle when I was a kid in the hospital. I should've died like I was supposed to."

"My life-force is a Philosopher's Stone," I said, "made out of the lab subjects who were forced through the Portal with me in Drachma."

Maes was still. "Oh, God."

I nodded against him. I took a sharp breath. My arms clung to him like a drowning animal and my chest broke into really panicked sobs, more like hyperventilation to my ears. His hold on me felt shaky since I was quaking rapid against him. He held me close and I felt his breath on my hair as he kissed the top of my head. "Nina, I am so…" his voice trailed off into a choked-up swallow. "Nina…"

"Sorry," I said through the tears. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"No," he said, all rattled. "I'm sorry. You were right. I didn't know what I was talking about. I didn't know."

"Sorry," I continued to say.

"I thought…" Maes breathed shaky against me. "I thought you were still dreaming about the Gate and Ling's life-force."

I wanted to tell him that I missed those nightmares. All that came out was, "Yeah."

"Don't do it," he said. "Don't use them to save my dad. We'll find another way."

I shook my head. "No other way. Has to be me."

Maes hugged me tighter. "You can't."

"I have to," I said. I sniffled. "It's what they want."

* * *

REPLIES!

TheZipAlchemist: Haha, thanks! Read on :D

pitstop96: 'Lovers' spat' always sounded funny to me.

otakgirlyy: It's times like these where Maes talks about his feelings and Nina's the guy in the relationship.

Ginger Kaga: Aw, you're so sweet. Thanks for asking me to do it with you :)

AvengerKitty: ...well? How did you like his reaction? haha

KTrevo: Yeah, Maes, you should just go over there and do...something. Just not...that.

PhantomhiveHost: Aw, you played the 'favorite author' card. Now I'm all touched inside.

waves on sand: this is a reply to chapter 1 and it's funny cuz it's 66 chapters later :P

Hawkstang: Haha, yes! Poor 'future husband' will be asking for a comforter all of his own for Christmas.

Queen of Narnia49: You're right. Heroes doing exactly what's wrong for them is a key tool a lot of writers use. Hm.

Rozablood: Ha! I guess it's an accomplishment to stress you out over writing :S

TheZioAlchemist: No relationship is complete without some imperfection ;)

SavFFLover: By the end of this fic, I'll be a mass murderer. apparently my writing is 'killing' a lot of readers :P

very-chan: Poor Maes never effs things up. Nina must be special to bring it out of him :O


	68. Chapter 68: Fighting Their Case

Author's Note: Shorter chapter due to secret project.

* * *

Chapter 68: Fighting Their Case

"Do you remember any of it?" I said kind of sniffly. "When you were tiny."

Maes leaned back with numb eyes. "Some people have trouble remembering the really awful things. Other people can't forget them."

He didn't have to say any more than that. Yes, he remembered, and it had been bad.

He'd stuck me in the guest bed where he'd been sleeping once I'd calmed down enough to leave the trashed office in peace. Uncle Al and his family were all confused and nosey about what had happened, but Maes more or less told them to bug off, but in much more polite terms. He'd been sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand on my hand and his back leaned on the headboard. It was like he was guarding me.

"How do you stand it?" I asked softly.

He brushed my long bangs from my eyes. "I look forward to my good memories outnumbering the bad ones."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Maes's speech was soothing like I'd expect, but it was limp. He was trying to keep me calm since I'd lost it over the automail, but he had some calming down to do himself. Apparently his girlfriend had accidentally used two human souls to fix his automail last month.

I took a breath. It'd been nearly an hour. I was ready to ask. "When will the new stuff be ready?"

Maes was quiet. He sighed. "I don't want you to do it."

I looked up sternly at him. "How long?"

His cut off his gaze and looked at my knees under the covers instead. "A week."

"Maes."

He bowed his head a little. "Two days."

"You can have all five rebuilt in two days?"

He nodded.

I fought to keep my breathing from veering off steady. Two days.

"Nina, this is dangerous," Maes said with an agonized, pleading look on his face. "You're not like my grandfather. Your soul isn't separate from your Philosopher's Stone. If you go too far, you could use up you own life-force along with the others."

Damn me for thinking it was a good idea to let him know about that. "I'll be careful."

"How?"

"It doesn't cost me anything to access my own life-force. I'll check with the others before I try anything. They know more about it than I do. They're the ones who knew how to heal your automail, not me. They'll know how to heal your dad."

"My dad won't let you heal him with souls," said Maes.

"Then I'll tie him up and do it by force." I sat up a little. My head hurt on the way from crying earlier. "He doesn't get to disappear because of black-and-white personal convictions like he did when he was young. I've spent the past couple months meeting person after freaking person whose life has been touched by your dad. He can't leave all of us behind. It's selfish."

"I love you for saying that." Maes took advantage of having me upright and swung his arm around me. "I still don't want you to do it. Dad called this morning. Sounded great. Mom said he turned a corner last night. He walked to the neighbors with her and Sophie for game night. We've got time to find a different way to help him. He can wait."

I dropped my head on Maes's shoulder. "I don't want to do it either."

"Then don't." He said it almost like he thought the problem was resolved just like that.

I put my hand over my heart, felt my chest's warmth through my shirt. "They like your Dad. They like you, too. They've spent the past nineteen years waiting for me to listen. I'll be damned if I don't give them a say in who they die for."

Maes was quiet.

I bit my lip. "They're still people. They can choose."

"I know." He said it like he wished he didn't know.

"I got to keep my body. I got to survive. Now it's my job to give the others what little of their humanity I have left to offer them."

Maes nodded slow like he hated to nod. "And my dad's their humanity?"

"Last time I checked in on them, they were fighting over who got to save him."

Maes stared at me like he had a lot of different things to say that would lead us in all different directions. "It's amazing that you're able to talk to them like that."

"I stopped talking to them a few days ago," I said with a light smile. "They wouldn't stop telling me to use them up on 'our' friends."

I waited for another argument from Maes, but he didn't even meet my eyes or open his mouth. He hugged me instead, held me, burying his face in my hair like he seriously needed it. It surprised me a little to have him grab me so fast, but my arms adapted quick and I was holding onto him too before I'd had time to think about it. "I won't die," I said. "I won't. Me and your dad will be fine."

Maes nodded against my ear. "Wouldn't be love if you couldn't scare the living hell out of me."

I turned my face to kiss his chin. I could feel his breaths blowing light and trembling on my face. He really was scared. Made sense. I wasn't too sure I'd let him do it if we'd switched places. Maes didn't know all the facts like I did. He had no way of knowing how the hell I'd keep myself alive. All he saw were the many ways I could die. Well, as bad as it sounded, having him doubt the situation helped me get more sure of it. He was forcing me to defend my friends' case, making me side with them on all of it. I was losing the option of telling them I wouldn't let them go; I was fighting to convince Maes I would.

"Thank you," Maes said softly.

"You're welcome."

He pressed his hand along my jaw and titled my chin up. He met my eyes really focused, almost severe. I sucked my lip. He brushed it with his thumb, triggering me to spit the lip out. He kept his thumb rested gently, the tip pushing up on the beak of my top lip like a 'sh.' "Thank you," he said. "I don't say that enough." He slid his thumb off my lips and replaced it with his mouth. I hung onto him with my arms around his neck, scooting closer, my lips reaching for more. It felt good to kiss him again. We'd been at a stalemate for too long.

Maes got his hands off my back and pulled away from me by my waist. It made me do a tiny lurch, being thwarted mid-kiss. Maes shook his head 'no,' with an amused smile. "No, Nina, that's it. Too fast too easy."

Well, we were on his bed. Had plenty of potential to go fast.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "I'm stopping."

I sat back with my body restrained from snuggling against him and he sat back with his arm restrained from being around me. I chuckled to myself. Of all the stuff we could be frustrated over, keeping tame was top on our list right now.

"So, you're not bugged that your girlfriend's got a freaky life-force?" I said.

Maes looked at me, brow knit and confused. "It makes me sad. And angry. Not at you. You're still my Nina."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said. "What those researchers did to you and your friends was horrific. It doesn't make me think you're horrific. It makes me think you're amazing for being you after everything that's happened."

That was definitely the loveliest thing to hear. I chanced leaning my head on his shoulder and he let me. "Twenty-eight helped me access your life-force for the first time. When we found the imperfection, Seventeen jumped in and healed it. Seventeen was one of the older girls. By now she'd be mid-twenties if she were alive, like Elysia Hughes. She was kind of like Elysia, I guess. Kind of emotional, you know?"

Maes held my hand. "You two got along?"

"Sure we did. She cried a lot and I was good at not crying. We balanced each other. Same as me with Elysia."

"Did she look like Elysia?" He asked it like he was interested, but I knew part of him was just trying to help me talk about it.

"Not so much. Seventeen had one of those long faces, right? And then her hair grew really orange." I laughed. "She was kind of unique."

"Tell me about her," said Maes. "And tell me about Twenty-eight. I want to hear about the girls who saved my life."

I squeezed his hand. I could've kissed him for putting it like that if I was allowed. I started talking about it, about Seventeen's fussy attitude and Twenty-eight's shy streak. I rambled and smiled and frowned and choked up. I talked about the time I got ahold of a cookie and Twenty-eight gobbled down more than half of it, not even knowing what it was, just knowing it was good. Maes listened like he cared, like he was grateful they'd cared.

For a while, I stopped worrying about all the people counting on me, depending on me, waiting on me. For a while, I thought about the good memories and the good sides to the bad memories. For a while, I didn't think about my parents waiting for me with anxiously open arms in Central. I didn't think about Uncle Ed and his family waiting for me to save him in Resembool. I didn't think about Ling in his palace dreading everyone else's death but his, hoping someday I'd split his Stone into Lan Fan so he wouldn't be alone.

I could run that one by Maes at a better time.

* * *

REPLIES!

SaFFLover: Wow! That must've been some special sleep.

pitstop96: Maes is a good guy for not spazzing.

KTrevo: There's no definite progress with these guys. Just...change.

singerklainer333: Aw, tears! Me and my characters' terrible lives.

maana999: Yeah, Maes has an answer to just about everything but Nina's 'Philosopher's Soul' haha

HopelessAlchemist: This reply is coming way down the line, which makes me amused. Thanks about the poem!

Hawkstang: I think my dad will stick 'future husband' at the foot of the bed and kick his head in his sleep until Christmas morning. Then 'future husband' will never sleep and Santa won't come with his extra blanket.

Polarized Penmanship: Note to self...dumb down intrigue of writing lest innocent reader die.


	69. Chapter 69: Movement-Part One

Author's Note: I'll spill about the secret project when it's ready ;)

* * *

Chapter 69: Movement—Part One

It didn't happen like it should have. Pretty much nothing ever does.

Four in the afternoon. Two days since destroying first five models of automail organs. Headed to Resembool Station later with five new organ models on midnight-thirty train. Uncle Alphonse to accompany.

"How the heck do I pack?" I griped. I tossed a pair of borrowed socks onto my mattress in the pile of 'leave in Xing' items. "I didn't even bring anything."

Maes shrugged. "Just stuff the things you bought here into your purse and call it good."

"And what do I wear to the Station? The only clothes I have to take with me are Sophie's PJs and the PJs I got from the Palace. The rest I just borrowed from your Auntie's non-maternity stash."

Maes looked interested in the matter. "I like you in Sophie's pajamas."

I picked up the satiny purple shirt and shorts. Hadn't been washed since I'd worn them for three days coming over here. Sickening. "What are you wearing?"

"Clothes."

"Ha, ha." I tossed the purple laundry at his face but aimed low and it hit his chest instead. He caught it in his already folded arms. I stuck a hand on my hip. "They still smell like train smoke."

Maes went ahead and sniffed them more out of curiosity than a need for confirmation. He made a face and coughed. "Smells like you tried to barbeque them."

I put my hand out. "Exactly." He tossed the jammies back to me. I dropped them in the small pile of stuff that I'd be taking with me. "Of course, whatever else I try wearing to Resembool is going to end up smelling the same by the time we get there."

"Why don't you just wear what you want?" He sat down on Trisha's bed. "Wear what you want, pack what you want. Doesn't matter. The only things necessary to bring are the five new models, and I've already got them packed in their case. You go on and smell like train-smoke if you want to."

Oh, gee, thanks. "I'm thinking no."

Maes chuckled and leaned back all relaxed like he planned on sticking around. "Suit yourself."

I abandoned my piles and went on over to cuddle on Maes. He smiled like, 'What a nice surprise!' and pulled me onto his lap by my shoulder. I couldn't help but laugh at that. No one had put me on their lap since I was nine. Maes was tall, so I fit pretty good.

"You excited?" I said, hanging on his neck. "This time next week, your dad's going to be a healed man."

Maes's smile was absolutely real, but the edges were strained. He was still nervous, maybe even more nervous than before since my told secret had had two days to fester. I'd be using my life-force to heal his dad and there was no guarantee how it would pan out for me. Sort of a big risk in his eyes.

I kissed his cheek nice and soothing. "Then we'll bring him to Central once he's fully recovered and we'll chain him up to visit my dad like we talked about, remember?"

Maes nodded, staying happy-looking for me.

I kissed his other cheek. "Look, I don't know tons about how my life-force works these things out, but it took one soul to get into your life-force and then one other to fix the connection between your force and your automail. You add that up for Uncle Ed with his streak of good health in mind and we're looking at using up a grand total of six souls for his procedure out of my twenty remaining. I'm going to be okay."

"I know," he said. "I just…don't know." He hugged his arms around me and pressed me close to him, his automail poking my chest from under his shirt. "I wish I knew."

"You know I don't quit on people," I said all optimistic. "Sort of something I got from my dad, I guess. So, you know I'm not going to get careless and die on you. I wouldn't leave you like that. You know that much."

Maes smiled really sad like he was listing things in his head that he'd miss about me if this went south. "I know that much." He cupped his hand under my jaw and leaned to kiss me. I closed my eyes.

The door slammed open, banging against the doorstop like thunder.

"Maes!" Ming said with a frightened break in her little voice. "Something's wrong with Mommy."

I practically fell off Maes's lap he was up so fast. "Where is she?" he said.

Ming took his hand with a tight grip and pulled him into the hall. "She was hanging laundry but she bent down and her back started hurting."

I headed down the hall with them toward the backyard. I didn't know a lot about pregnant ladies, but I knew enough to know it was a bad sign when one sent her daughter to tell Maes, 'Something's wrong with Mommy.'

"You need to get your dad," Maes said, coming to the back door.

"Jun went," said Ming. "Daddy's fixing Mrs. Wen's shed."

Maes led the way out. We stepped out onto the patio and Ming pointed over to the clothesline at the far right of the yard. Sure enough, Aunt Mei was seated on an overturned laundry basket with a grimace on her face, rubbing her back with one hand and holding her belly with the other. Trisha was on her knees next to her, muttering stuff and looking insanely worried.

Maes let go of Ming to get over faster. I kept pace with Ming, taking her hand where he'd let go. Poor kid looked like she could cry. Maes knelt down in front of Aunt Mei and started something along the lines of an interrogation. Ming held tight to my leg.

"Do you need a doctor?" he said with urgency.

Aunt Mei shook her head. "False alarm. It'll pass. Just bent down too far."

Maes wasn't convinced. He looked at Trisha. "Does she need a doctor?"

Trisha nodded.

Maes patted her head all reassuring like a big brother. "Go get me a pen, little girl."

Trisha hopped up and dashed, not saying a thing. Ming clung tighter to me.

"I'm okay," said Aunt Mei. Pretty much ridiculously insistent for a woman so clearly in pain.

"Don't you dare be brave," said Maes, almost glaring with those focused eyes. "This baby's got six weeks to go. If you need a doctor then you're going."

Maes had come five weeks too soon, right? Being born early had sure screwed his life up. Keeping his cousin from being premature was kind of personal for him. He knew better than anybody.

Aunt Mei winced, following with an immediate, "I'm okay." She did not look okay.

Maes got a slight softness to his look like he'd just understood something. He put his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be fine, Auntie."

"Where's Alphonse?"

Ming piped up. "Jun's getting him."

Aunt Mei paled. "On her own?"

"Just down the block," said Ming.

I heard the backdoor open loudly and Trisha ran out first waving a fountain pen over her head. Uncle Al came out a few steady paces after her with Jun in one arm. They got over to us all at once. Uncle Al set Jun with me and she grabbed my leg next to Ming. He came around to Mei and knelt, hugging her from behind like the back of a chair.

"I'm okay," she said with a pretty much unconvincing smile.

"Is it contractions?" he asked.

Aunt Mei gave a nod. "Just a little. It'll pass."

Trisha back up against my knees after putting the pen in Maes's hand. She huddled with her sisters, still not to talkative at all. Just scared. "Is Mommy going to die?" asked Ming all sniffly.

Aunt Mei smiled at her girls. "No, Mommy's fine. Just a false alarm."

Maes was scribbling all over his hands, transmutation circles of all types and sizes. He drew first on the front, back, and fingertips of his left hand, then on his right. The end product closely resembled the gloves he'd used in Rush Valley to scan Sarah's arm for errors where her automail connected. With the gloves, only some of the circles were alchehestry. Maes had drawn all medicinal alchemy on his hands.

He capped the pen and dropped it on the grass beside him. He looked at Uncle Al, flapping his hands in the air to make sure the ink dried. "I'm going to check. It may be nothing."

Aunt Mei looked a little uncomfortable at the idea as Maes pressed his hands on her tummy without saying why. Uncle Al rubbed her arms like he was telling her it was okay. Just let Maes do his thing. The girls leaned on me, trying to get a better angle on what was going on. I watched Maes look forward all blank and distant, shifting his hands a little over her tummy. Then a little bit of a red transmutation glow came from between his fingers and his eyes darted rapidly from side to side like he was reading really fast. He shifted his hands over her some more, kept glowing red and darting his eyes, then frowned and took his hands off.

"You need to get her to a hospital," he said.

Aunt Mei looked like she would argue. Uncle Al stopped her. Maes picked the pen up and handed it back to Trisha with a nod of thanks.

"If they can get her on magnesium soon enough, they might be able to stop the contractions." He looked at Aunt Mei gently. "You won't be able to hold it in through sheer power of will."

Aunt Mei nodded kind of woeful. Uncle Al nodded with her. "Call an ambulance. The hospital's over half an hour away in rush hour traffic."

I did my part and called the ambulance while the girls helped pack their mom a suitcase and Maes got instructions on holding down the fort. After I'd finished the call, I stood with Maes in the living room and listened to the instructions with him. Uncle Al had already sorted out the main details with him. Now Aunt Mei was just rattling off random junk.

"Xiao Mei needs to eat dinner by seven," she said nervously. "The girls know what she likes. She can't have anything too hard to chew. She gets stomach aches when things are too spicy."

"Sounds like Doctor Knox," I snorted to myself. Dad's old fart of a war-buddy. What a piece of work.

Maes gave me a glance with a muffled laugh like he knew what I was talking about.

Aunt Mei continued like we were listening intently. "The girls are good friends with our next door neighbors, so if you need anything…"

Uncle Al nodded. "I'll call Bai and tell her to take the girls if we're not back in time for Maes and Nina's departure to Resembool."

"No," I said. "That's dumb. We'll stick around until we're sure Auntie and the baby are alright." I cleared my throat self-consciously and added. "If that's what Maes wants."

Maes put his arm around me and hugged me to his side. "That's definitely what Maes wants."

The blaring sound of sirens hit the air like a punch in the ears as the ambulance pulled up to the house. Maes let go of me and pretty much ran to let them in. Jun yelled from the bedroom that the bag wasn't ready yet. Trisha yelled something about not being able to fit the curlers in with the bug spray and apron. I gave Aunt Mei a hug as she accepted goodbyes and good lucks from all of us. I gave Uncle Al a hug too and whispered, "If things get dangerous, call me up."

Maes watched me whisper like he could read my lips. The gold in his eyes tarnished. His dad in Resembool would have to wait a little longer. I was doing a good job scaring him just fine thinking about risking my life-force from right here.

* * *

REPLIES!

verry-chan: Maes can't... ride a unicycle. Yet.

pitstop96: Maes proves the phrase, 'no such thing as too adorable,' true.

KTrevo: Can't talk specifics about said project until it's done. Gotta make sure it works :O Finally ready to drop hints, though.

Queen of Narnia49: Life could use more fluff for those two :P

SavFFLover: Haha, thanks. Writing is my favorite way to chill out, so it fits pretty naturally into my schedule most days.

otakgirlyy: Well, Maes saying something mean a few chapters before could count as something major (for him) :S

PhantomhiveHost: Well, Maes has a lot of respect for his mother. Good sign when it comes to gentleman-scale.

Hawstang: I used to sleep like that and kick my dad's head when I was itty bitty. He still tells the stories about it :P

Illovebooks: REALLY creepy, but interesting? I feel strangely flattered.

long live marshmallows: Aw! Thanks for saying that. It can't help but be sweet with these characters, I guess.

Polarized Penmanship: Nope, haven't read it. I have a lot more trouble reading than writing (ADHD and stuff), so I usually don't read too much. But I can try. Sounds good :)

mixmax300: Haha, come home from camp and get a wave of fanfic plot-tension chapters. Awesome!

MYcookies: You sided with Nina! Most people take Maes's side as default. He's a tough opponent in that respect.

purpleswans: Haha, Nina would be great in an interrogation if she was able to resist the shiny golden Maes-eyes of longing for two weeks.


	70. Chapter 70: Movement-Part Two

Author's Note: Ha! Seventy Chapters. I feel excessive.

**No replies** to comments this chapter. My sister just got home after two weeks and she's dominating my time :D

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Chapter 70: Movement—Part 2

Half past ten at night. Over five hours since Aunt Mei left with Uncle Al in the ambulance. Jun, Trisha, and Ming finally asleep with Xiao Mei in parents' bed. Maes still waiting by the office phone for Uncle Al's call.

"He said he'd call if things got dangerous," I said. "So, apparently things haven't gotten dangerous."

Maes nodded, eyes still locked on that dormant phone like nothing else. My little words of reassurance hadn't been convincing him at all. I knew. But it made me feel better to pretend that they did.

I sat on the desk kind of in front of him. "The paramedic looked way relieved when she told him her water hadn't broken, so that's good, right?"

Maes nodded. Still not too chatty. Still watching that phone.

I sucked my lip. "You were born at home, right? But Aunt Mei's at a hospital. If the baby comes early there's stuff they can do to give it a better chance."

Maes nodded.

I felt really out of place, trying to comfort him during a family crisis. I mean, I loved him and I loved his family, but it wasn't like I'd known them long enough to really have the right to spaz right now. I didn't know whether I was supposed to treat it all clinical like I wasn't affected, sympathize like a mom, or just fade into the background and let things run their course. Honestly, I was kind of wanting to call the hospital and get an update myself, but somehow that just seemed inappropriate for the nephew's new girlfriend to do.

The phone rang.

Seriously, if Maes hadn't been so quick on the draw, I might've dove for the thing myself. He practically slammed the thing to his ear, speaking for the first time in almost twenty minutes, "Al, what's happening?" His wide, pretty much expectant eyes faded a little and his lips closed like all the nervous babble he'd had going through his head had been extinguished. I felt my heart run into my throat. Oh, God. A speechless Maes was not a good sign. No smile meant not a glint of hope. I felt premature tears clog up my eyes.

"Okay," said Maes. "She's right here."

He held the phone out to me. "Uncle Ling said he needs to talk to you. Make it quick."

Oh, sweet mother! Not even Uncle Al. So Maes had been disappointed by who he was talking to, not by what he was hearing. I grabbed the phone and repeated Maes's warning into the receiver. "Make it quick."

"It's Lan Fan," Ling said with kind of a crackly voice. There was almost a wild tone to it. "We've tried everything. She won't make it to tomorrow."

"Whoa, tell it out, Ling. Is she sick?"

Ling breathed desperate into the phone. "Yao Supremists…they made it past the second wall. There were too many. I don't know how they got that far."

Yao Supremists? Sounded like some kind of freaky extremist group. I swallowed. "Lan Fan?"

"They used guns," said Ling. "I've got three alchehestrists trying to control the bleeding, but the bullets ripped her insides to pulp. They can't fix it. Just slow it down."

"And…your Stone?"

"Can you help her?" he asked, pretty much begged. "I'll give up every soul I have in my Stone. Please, just…"

Dang. He sounded like he could cry. Maybe already been crying. "Don't get carried away. I'll do what it takes. Don't flip, got it?"

Maes didn't really seem to be listening all that intently. Just stood in front of the clock on the shelf, timing me. I could tell he was still pretty much brooding.

"The Palace just got attacked, right?" I said into the receiver. "So, will they even let me through?"

"They'll be on the lookout for you. They'll let you in. I'll make sure."

"Got it. I'm on my way. Tell her to hold on."

"Thank you, Nina." His voice was tired like he'd probably been using it to tell her to hold on a lot before he gave me a call. I hung up.

"Something wrong?" Maes asked like he was only half there. "You said something about Lan Fan being sick?"

I bit my lip. Bad timing, Lan Fan. Aunt Mei and her baby were in trouble and Uncle Ed was up next on the Nina-list. Lan Fan was supposed to wait her turn to expire. "Well, Maes, there actually could kind of be a slight change in plans…"

The phone rang. Maes didn't even bother to register what I was saying. He made it back to the phone in two and a half tall strides and started off immediately by saying into it, "Uncle Al, is it you?" His wide eyes widened a little more and his breaths got just a little bit gaspy. "She's okay?" His eyes got a little less desperate and he let out a steady breath of relief. I found myself doing the same just listening to him do it.

"Oh, thank God," Maes said quietly, kind of to himself. His mouth actually dared to smile a little. "Yeah, I'll tell them as soon as I get off." Maes gave me a little wink, cutest most childlike thing ever. "No problem, Uncle Al. Just glad I was here." Maes nodded, started looking more business. "Not until half past midnight. No, we could still make it, but you…Are you sure?" Maes let out kind of a surprised laugh. "Maybe. We'll see. I'll run it by her. Tell Auntie I said hi." I waved my hand at Maes. "And Nina says hi, too." Maes smiled at me. "Okay. Bye."

He dropped the phone on its hook and put up his clenched hands like a silent cheer.

"I take it they're fine?" I asked in a giggle. What a freaking cutie.

"They're fine!" he said, grinning with all his teeth. "The doctor got her on the IV in time and they're fine! The contractions stopped, she's stable, and they'll be home tomorrow afternoon after some observation. They're fine!"

"Just to be sure," I said, tapping my chin, "I take it they're fine?"

Maes stepped forward and grabbed me up. "They're absolutely fine! Cousin number four is safe in the oven. We are in the clear. We're fine!"

I took the initiative in his glittery gold gaze and pushed up to kiss him. He kissed back pretty darn enthusiastic. Very nice. I guessed saving this baby from being born early must've been a really special victory for Maes in particular. Kind of like he was getting a do-over of his own birth but actually getting it right this time. I came up for air and kiss his cheek not far from his mouth. "I am so flipping happy for you."

Maes laughed over nothing. "Me too." He grinned. "Let's go wake the girls up. I might call the neighbors and ask Miss Bai to come over. Uncle Al says if you and I can still make it to the train in time, we can go ahead and leave for Resembool tonight and he'll join us later. We'll be with my dad in three days!" He took my hand and pulled me to the door. I wanted to go with him. I wanted to flip on the lights in the master bedroom, hop on the bed, and cheer with him to the sleeping triplets that their mom and sibling-to-be were safe and sound. Instead, I gripped his hand tighter and dug my bare feet into the floor, leaning my weight to jerk Maes into a halt.

"Maes!" I said real sharp. He whipped his gaze around like I'd seriously startled him more than usual. I had to admit, the tone in my voice when addressing him was a big contrast to the happy excitement buzzing in the air.

"Nina?"

I squeezed his hand. I let it go. "I have to go. Not to Resembool or anything. I've got to go to the Palace. Some sort of terrorists or something attacked there earlier tonight and Lan Fan got shot all over the place. The prognosis is she'll die before tomorrow. I got to go now."

Maes didn't really look angry, but there was some kind of darkness to him like something in him very much felt wronged. Not by me. By life. "Not Lan Fan. She's not the kind of person who's allowed to die." He looked away from me. "How did Ling know you could save her?"

Oops. "I was going to run it by you down the line after we took care of your dad. Ling figured out I could transfer individual souls even though I couldn't transfer partial life forces. He asked me to come back to Xing someday and put half the souls from his Stone into Lan Fan so he wouldn't have to be immortal alone. I said I'd do it."

"So, you didn't tell him what it costs you to access life-forces?" Maes asked.

"Haven't talked to him since we were at the Palace."

"When you two were hugging in the hall?" said Maes with a double sided smile.

I nodded. "I have to go."

Maes's eyes set on me like I was saying I'd be gone for five years. "Yeah."

"I'll save Lan Fan and be on the train over by tomorrow. I won't be far behind."

Maes frowned. "No, I'm staying with you. My dad's holding up fine. He can wait a couple extra days."

"Jeez," I said, observing Maes's more or less drastic change in countenance. "I'm sort of a killjoy right now."

Maes put his fingers through my hair nice and gentle. "Lan Fan's going to die by tomorrow. You stepping in and changing that fact doesn't kill joy. It brings a little life to it, don't you think?"

Oh, he put it so nice. "Guess so."

"You can't be hard on yourself just because I worry," he said. "Otherwise I'll have to pretend I'm not worried, and fake smiles are uncomfortable. I know you can do it, Nina. Even if I don't want you to." He smiled sort of not all the way happy about it. "Just because I'm scared doesn't change the fact that you can kick ass with life-forces. Don't ever let me psych you out, okay? I don't want you getting the wrong idea from me."

Whoa! He just gave me permission to use my freaking Stone. Yeah, he was definitely still kind of high on being relieved over Aunt Mei. And sleep deprived. He'd have to be to get all encouraging and confident when I started talking about using my souls. Whatever. I'd take it when I could get it.

"Lan Fan's a good cause," he said, taking my hand.

I nodded. He was right. She was worth saving. I'd planned on using souls up on her to make her immortal before she'd even needed saving. Still, I hadn't been betting on using up souls quite so soon as tonight. I wondered who I'd lose this time. If we even made it to Lan Fan before she bled out.


	71. Chapter 71: Movement-Part Three

Author's Note: Off schedule just a bit. Helping my cousin get started on writing her own fics. As always, I will catch up.

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Chapter 71: Movement—Part 3

Two in the morning. Arriving at Xing Palace. Traffic in Capital suffers due to heightened security because of recent terrorist attacks on inner palace.

I jumped out of the cab without waiting for Maes to be a gentleman and open my door for me. All the honking horns and flashing lights got more vibrant once you got to the center, and that wasn't a good thing. I was freaking overwhelmed. I didn't need to be overwhelmed. I needed a clear head. It was clear to me by now that there was no way I was going to get one.

As great an Emperor as Ling was, there's always someone left unhappy. I knew that pretty darn well being the Fuhrer's daughter. Amestris was crazy about Dad on the whole, but he still got plenty of threat mail. So did I. Just how things went with leaders. So, yeah, I wasn't exactly surprised that Ling would have a few enemies here and there. I wasn't surprised that not exactly every clan was happy the Yao clan had taken the throne, even with how Ling ended the clan rivalry first thing on said throne. But, dang! Yao Spuremists? Did not see that coming.

Maes explain the long and short of it on the way over. Ling's clan had had a heck of a lot of people depending on him to get the throne and put them on top. So, when mister greedy decided he'd accept every clan under his rule instead of than just his own, certain someones weren't too happy with him. Certain someones who'd rather have a country in constant unrest as long as they were at the top of the chain. Those guys were apparently called Yao Supremists since they had been betting on the Yaos to be supreme or something.

It wasn't like the whole Yao group or whatever. More like there was the city Yaos and then a sprinkle of country Yaos and those country Yaos were too sheltered up in their mountain homes to realize what a good thing it was to have peace. So, this little group of country Yaos went and got organized and decided they'd get nice and angry at the Emperor for not being a tyrant like a good boy.

Point was, Ling was being turned on by a few of his own clansmen and this time they'd actually made it pretty far. Too far. Jeez. And I'd thought being the Fuhrer's daughter sucked.

"Nina Mustang," I said, flashing my ID out of my purse at the guard. "You sure as hell better be expecting me." The guard guy nodded, but he was looking real shifty and suspicious at Maes. I bit my lip kind of impatient. "My boyfriend. He stays with me or I'm out of here." Totally bluffing.

The guard nodded a little more passionate and signaled to some of the other guards. The gate opened up just a little, a crack big enough for me and Maes to slip through. A couple guards at the other side escorted us nice and close into the familiar splendor. Last time I'd seen it had been in daylight. Now the whole thing was black and flashing, sickeningly clogged with security and surveillance and all that crap my dad hated having to go through with serious threats. It was suffocating. I held my heart with my fist.

Our escorts took us down a different corridor than I was used to going down. Not that I'd exactly explored the palace before, but still. It wasn't a hospital since they were helping her with alchehestry and they didn't need all the surgeons and junk crowding around. I got that. But if she wasn't going to be in a hospital, I couldn't help but wonder why the heck they hadn't put her down and gotten to work on her the moment they got her to safety, like in one of those guestrooms at the front or whatever. This hallway was kind of turning into a maze. No wonder Lan Fan was having trouble. At this rate, she'd probably been spurting blood for an hour before she even got set down to be treated.

We got to a point with a couple extra guards who relieved our escorts and took us the rest of the way. After that it was just a little awkward hall walking before we made it to a plain white door. As we approached I felt the pretty much shocking touch of Maes's hand abruptly gripping hold of mine. I looked over. His face had gone all completely sallow. He shook his head without even meeting my eyes like he knew I was asking what was up. "Listen," he said.

We were standing right in front of the damn door by now and I couldn't hear squat. "I got nothing."

Maes nodded.

"The room is sound proofed," said a guard.

The other guard got out a set of keys and opened the door for us. Sound proofed? Why the heck? Was that why were all the way out here?

The door pushed open in front of us. Immediate sound.

Lan Fan moaned like she was too out of it to stop moaning. Maybe she just didn't care anymore. They were broken moans, like grating carrots; rough with an exhausted squeak at the end. Her voice was going to give out before her body. Maybe. From what I could see, her body wasn't doing so great either. You didn't have to look far across the expanse of the room to catch the blood soaked rags and drips of red coming off the sheets. Dang! She should've been dead. But Ling was right. She had three alchehestrists just like he'd said, all of them standing over her, taking turns making her glow red, trying to sustain her as long as they could. She had a bag of blood connected to her right wrist by an IV, refilling her not quite fast enough but still not completely useless.

Ling was standing over her. Standing. Not sitting comfortably like even the worn out alchehestrists were doing by now. He was on his feet, bent over her, doing that pointless thing with the cool wet rag on the forehead that made caretakers feel like they were actually doing something to help. He wasn't saying anything. No one was. I wondered if that was because Lan Fan couldn't hear them anymore or because there just wasn't anything left to say.

"Emperor Yao," said the guard, like a boom. Way harsh to the ears.

Ling looked up like he'd forgotten what day it was or maybe like he'd forgotten his own name. I didn't wait for him to welcome me in. I just pushed on past. Ling smiled kind of quivering as I came on over across the room to the big bed with him. Maes followed close behind.

"Looks like you got here just in time," Ling said kind of scratchy in his throat. He looked from the guards to the alchehestrists and got his composure a little tighter for them. "That will be all."

The staff stared at him like he was crazy, the transmutation glow coming off Lan Fan's stomach faltering just a little. Lan Fan let out a weak cry. Completely sad to hear.

"That will be all," Ling repeated, his beady eyes getting a little peeved.

Maes took the look in my eyes and went over to the alchehestrists and traded places with them. The glow faltered again as Maes took control over the transmuting, then it got brighter under Maes's hands than it had been and the blood soaking down Lan Fan's skin slowed a little. The master alchehestrists kind of caught on that Maes was better than the three of them combined and they retreated under Ling's irritated eye. The guards followed. The door shut.

I rubbed my hands together. "Let's do this thing."

Lan Fan moaned like a subconscious reply. Maes gave Ling a serious look in the eye. "Does she want this?"

Ling looked a little unsteady about the question. "We never talked about it in concrete terms. She was out before I could get any confirmation from her, but I do believe it's what she wants."

Maes's eyes rested on her and he nodded. "It's what she wants."

"Hell yeah," I said. "Let's do it before I start thinking straight and change my mind."

Ling's brow knit. Maes looked unsettled like he was considering stalling until I changed my mind. I forced a smile and it came off feeling kind of wild and buggy. This was all adrenaline now. It was a good thing I wasn't too into the 'drinking' concept, because a big bottle of something pointlessly cheap and strong might've just done the trick right then. I looked at the blood burbling out from the shreds of Lan Fan's shot-to-hell tummy. Yep. Why go for alcohol, Nina? You're a freaking blood drinker, after all. Have a couple souls. That'll make you feel better. I sucked my lip to keep it from smiling at my sick self-jokes. What a mess.

"How will you do it?" asked Ling.

"We talked about it on the way over," said Maes. "It would be best if it was as direct a transfer as possible, but Nina will still be handling souls manually. There's no getting around that. You're going to hold Lan Fan so the two of you are touching at all times. Do not break contact or the souls could start circulating through Nina, use her as a bridge to get from you to Lan Fan sense there's no longer a direct route to go by. Nina had a hard enough time touching them last time. We don't want them inside of her."

Ling nodded. He looked at me. "Are you sure you can do this?"

He wasn't doubting me. He sensed I didn't want to do it and he sensed Maes didn't want me to either. He was catching the danger in the air.

I sat on the edge of the bed lightly, not really wanting to jostle poor Lan Fan in her excruciating delirium. I patted next to me. "You can't stay on your feet. Trust me. This will go fast, but it won't be fun for any of us. Listen carefully." I gave him serious eye contact. "Maes wasn't kidding. Even if it hurts, even if it hurts her, even if it hurts me, do not let go. That won't stop anything. It'll only make it worse. Just grind your teeth and bear it until it's done, you get me?"

Ling nodded. He sat. Maes looked over at me from his glowing hands. I mouthed, "Not yet," and turned to Ling. "Maes is going to stop controlling the blood loss when I give the word. Don't think it's a good idea for him to be performing alchehestry on her while I'm transferring souls. I'm going to do my thing and, as your souls enter her, they'll set to work regenerating her before she can bleed out. Sound good?"

"Yes. I understand. Do it. Do what you have to." I'd never seen those shifty eyes so devastated and scared. Not even when he'd been told Uncle Ed was a goner. He looked like he was watching his world die, like the rest of us weren't even all that important to him anymore and he just wanted his Lan Fan. If she went now, he couldn't go with her.

"Pick her up," I said. "Hug her chest to chest. I can access your forces better around your hearts. The current's usually strongest there."

Ling didn't question. He scooped his arm under her shoulders and lifted her upright against him. She screamed as her stomach shifted against itself. Something in Ling's expression screamed with her. I nodded at Maes and he lifted his hands away from her, the red glowing fading off. Her stomach oozed dark blood into her lap and she let out a gasp. Ling's eyes widened, "What's are you…?"

I clapped my hands together and grasped hard on Ling's and Lan Fan's shoulders, pressing my fingers into their collarbones against their chests. I took a breath. I felt Maes's hand steadying me from behind. I closed my eyes and exhaled, leaning my life-force into Ling's and plowing straight into Lan Fan's.

* * *

REPLIES!

pitstop96: Murphy's Law.

SaFFLover: Haha! Who knows? Maybe you'll pick up something of mine after I'm published and you won't even know I wrote it :P

mixmax300: Haha, it's like Tinkerbelle coming back alive when the children clap and cheer their support.

KTrevo: Hm. I guess I remind myself of a genie when you say that. You get what you ask for but not how you asked for it.

maana999: I try :D

Polarized Penmanship: "Don't worry, Maesy. If Mei or the baby get hurt, we'll just track that author down and burn her alive. How's that?"

PhantomhiveHost: Hey, I've made threats. No deaths (yet).

Hawkstang: I should re-title this thing, "Near Death Experiences with Nina Mustang"

MYcookies: Funny how slow life can be and then how much can go on in one night.

otakgirlyy: If it wasn't for the daily posts, I think the chapter count wouldn't be so high since there would be less OVAs and the chapters would probably be longer. Too bad :)

AlchemistLeigh95: Good for you for crying :D

Illovebooks: There should be a forum on this site specifically dedicated to my readers conspiring to force me to write Ed recovering.


	72. Chapter 72: Homunculi

Author's Note: Long(ish)! Even though I had a killer migraine earlier today!

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Chapter 72: Homunculi

I had more control this time, knowing what my life-force was made of now. My friends inside of me came pretty much tangibly. Subject Two got me into Ling while One cleared a path into Lan Fan. From there all I needed was the energy from Seven to force the flow of Ling's Stone out of his mixed up circulation and into Lan Fan's. It was hard at first since, not only was the Stone a foreign life-force, but it was rough and spastic. Lan Fan's force was already weak and her current was so faint that I was scared putting a new life-force in would overpower her and kill her dead.

I fought the banging in my head, the realization that the screams weren't just coming from Ling's Stone, that they were coming from Ling and Lan Fan on the outside as well. And from me. I'd already cleared the way. All I could do now was safely transport the souls into Lan Fan until it was enough. My friends were already set on helping. There was no going back.

At first I only allowed the souls into her in a trickle, carefully checking each one by painful touch to make sure they were stable enough to enter her. But it got too painful, coming into contact with individuals for such drawn out lengths of time. Sixteen offered her services and ushered the souls through for me. She in particular had been eager to escape my cage of a body. She kind of enthusiastically used herself up for the cause.

It blurred together from there. I got in, the souls flowed, and all that was left was continuous black agony. It was like someone was drilling into my lungs, making me scream but making it hard for me to scream at the same time. Sixteen exhausted herself and Fifteen took over. I breathed, supporting Fifteen in his efforts as he patiently guided the souls for me. I could feel one lingering feeling that didn't blur. The urge to pull away.

"Done!" Fifteen's voice pounded from my heart.

My eyes opened themselves. My hands didn't let go.

"Nina, breathe," Maes said. "Please breathe. You're so close."

I felt his hold on my shoulders. I felt Ling's and Lan Fan's shoulders tug under my hold. I felt my hold tighten.

"Nina!" Maes said.

Lan Fan was conscious. Very conscious, and shrieking like she was being shot all over again. Ling had his forehead buried down into her automail shoulder and he was grinding his teeth and groaning like he had felt just as bad as she did but he wasn't feeling it now, just recovering. The pain was almost gone from me, or maybe I was just numb to it. Something in me knew the souls had been transferred successfully. What Fifteen had said about it being 'done' had been enough to prove that. I caught sight of Lan Fan's stomach, the healed smoothness under her old blood. I wondered why my hands were still holding her, why she was still screaming and Ling and I weren't. She'd regenerated. With Seven ushering the souls in, her body had accepted them without a hitch. Why was I still…?

I pulled my hand off Ling's shoulder and gripped it onto Lan Fan so I was holding her with both hands. I understood now, the way she was holding herself with her arms crossed over her body. It was like Maes with storm sickness. I ran my hand down her pale shoulder to where her automail began. I breathed.

"Nina, it's over," Maes begged.

Eight forced her way in. She'd always had a strong will. She got in smooth.

"Nina!" Maes's hands tugged me. Lan Fan screamed. Ling was yelling at me with Maes now.

I forced the word out. "Automail." I felt my body struggle. Was I losing souls too fast? I knew I had plenty left. "Going to regenerate."

After a split pause, Maes's hands let go of me and came around. I kept my hands on Lan Fan's writhing body, holding Eight steady as she did her best to keep Lan Fan's Stone from turning on its new host. While healing Lan Fan's severe injuries, the Stone had picked up on something I hadn't really expected but totally should have. She was missing an entire arm. As healed as she was from the old amputation, it was still an injury that could be regenerated as far as the Stone was concerned. For a veteran homunculus like Ling, something like that shouldn't have been an issue. For a homunculus whose body wasn't too sure it was willing to accept the Stone yet, her prosthetic countering her body's ease at regeneration could be a deal breaker.

Maes worked fast like the master he was and got the prosthetic off in a couple beats. I could feel it under her skin, her muscles trying to grow past the dock. I breathed short, sympathetic breaths as Maes drew fast circles onto Lan Fan's dock with her blood and transmuted the entire thing to shatter off her barren shoulder. She screamed like that one didn't feel so great.

I heard Ling's voice asking frantic questions behind me as Lan Fan's shoulder broke under my hand. I gave Eight permission to release the dam of souls and let them do their thing. Eight released herself into their current, guiding the others in their work better than I could, making sure they knew to help Lan Fan and not to harm her. Lan Fan still screamed bloody murder. I was beginning to understand the purpose behind the sound proofed door.

Ling came up like he didn't like what I was doing and Maes looked like he was holding him back a little. I felt Lan Fan's shoulder twist under its skin and the skin stretched and grew and filled with bone and muscle, extending like a branch from a tree. The new arm was weird next to the rest of her, kind of…smoother. Looked kind of small compared to the rest of her, shinier, a newer model, almost younger. A thought burst into my brain as I watched the arm vibrate into being. How old had she been when she'd lost it?

Eight came to the same conclusion as me at about the same time and we shifted Lan Fan's life-force on the spot, navigating the souls to where they needed to be, distributing them to every corner of her body. I gritted my teeth, concentrating. I said goodbye to Eight.

In a flash, Lan Fan's entire body lit up like a blaze of glowing red currents. It didn't take too long. It didn't feel like more than just a few seconds. Her final shrieks could barely be heard above the crackles of the transmutation. Then the glow died and I took my hands away, finally remembering to breathe. I hadn't passed out this time. I hadn't lost control. That was a great omen.

"Nina!" Maes held onto me without me needing it. I turned my gaze and smiled at him, kind of tired, but fine. His was all pale and tense like he didn't believe it was over.

"What did you do?" Ling said, pushing past me to Lan Fan's sprawled form. I'd left her kind of rolled on her stomach, passed out halfway through writhing. Her arm was back, crisp and new like it had been the day she'd lost it. Same with the rest of her.

Ling pulled Lan Fan into his arms like he thought she might be dead or something, like I'd actually be smiling right now if I'd let that happen. Maes gave me a knit-browed look. "What did you do?"

Ling let out a pretty intense gasp, kind of a retching sound he breathed in so harsh. "What did you…?"

I sat back on the bed, leaning my gaze onto Lan Fan's tidy body. "It was Eight's idea same as mine." Ling furrowed his brow when I mentioned 'Eight.' I ignored it. He didn't have to know what I was talking about. "The regenerative properties in the Stone wanted to restore her arm, so we figured, why not restore the rest of her with it?"

"Holy sh—" Maes put his hand over his mouth before he could say the rest. He took it off. "Nina, you just shaved her age down by twenty years!"

"Not really. Just her body. She's still pushing forty same as Uncle Ling."

"What did you…?" Ling couldn't say much else. He just kind of sat there holding her and staring at her like she wasn't real. "She…"

"You're welcome," I said.

Ling cradled her a little tighter as she slept comfortably now. He gave her healed stomach a tap like he was double checking. He tapped her new arm. He swallowed, taking it in. He smiled soft. "Thank you, Nina." I could hear the break in his voice. He meant it when he said thank you.

"Wake her up," I said. "She's not unconscious anymore. Just napping it off."

Ling gulped a little. Suddenly didn't look so sure he wanted to wake her up just yet. Maes chuckled behind me. "Been a while since you've seen her this young, huh?"

"Try twenty years, kid." Oo. Sass.

Lan Fan didn't exactly wait to be woken up. She let out kind of a sore yawn and fluttered open her eyes. Not glassy at all like a few minutes ago in her delirium. She was immediately alert. To prove it, the moment she caught sight of Ling holding her, she sat up out of his arms and blushed all over her face all cute. Dang! She was one cutie of a girl.

"Emperor!" she said, scooting a little away all ashamed of herself. "I apologize. I must have…" Her dark eyes wandered, resting here and there on blood soaked sheets, a healed waist, and a new arm. She drew a sharp breath. "What…happened to me?"

"You were shot," said Ling.

"I…" She touched her stomach, "remember. But…"

"Nina came all the way from the Chang district," said Ling with a grateful smile my way. "She agreed to…" He trailed off. Oh, yeah, he hadn't been able to actually ask her permission before hand. He started over. "Nina transferred part of my Stone into you to save your life."

Lan Fan looked at her hand, the new one, her face all blank like she wasn't sure how she was supposed to react; horror or absolute rapture? "I…am a homunculus?" Lan Fan's smile faded a little. She stared down at her blood-spattered pants and fiddled with the belt on them. Loose. She touched her new arm's fingers carefully to her stomach where it had healed, ran her fingers up and down the new tight skin. "I feel…different."

"The Stone set your flesh back to match your lost arm," said Maes. "You're body's twenty years younger. I'd be surprised if you didn't feel a little different." Well, that was simply put.

Lan Fan's eyes widened. She looked at Ling kind of vastly apologetic and maybe a little scared. She pulled her hand across her pale young cheek. "Emperor…your Philosopher's Stone! How could you?"

Ling looked kind of ashamed of himself. "Our regenerative properties won't be quite as potent as they would with a full Philosopher's Stone, but they'll still be functional even if a little slower. It was a small price to pay."

Lan Fan still had her hand toying with her face. "My Lord, your people depend on the certainty of your presence, the hope that you will always be there to step in when they falter. You can't risk the stability of your life-force for one person."

"I already did," Ling said, still sounding guilty. "It was a risk worth taking. I've known from the start I'd be doomed to outlive everyone I cared about. I asked Nina at her last visit if it would be possible to exclude my most trusted vassal from that list. She said she'd help me do it someday. When the surgeon said you wouldn't make it to morning…I asked Nina to make you immortal earlier than we'd planned so I wouldn't have to lose you. I'm sorry. If you had been conscious, I could have asked you first. There just wasn't time."

I sucked my lip.

Ling looked down. "I really am sorry."

Lan Fan stared blankly for a while, so freaking speechless that I wanted to smack her around and tell her what to say. But she actually came around on her own, smiled sheepish like she wasn't sure it was okay to be happy but she just couldn't help it. "Thank you, Emperor. It would be an honor to dedicate my life to ensuring you never regret this decision."

I was glad she'd figured out what to say herself. I couldn't have put it in a more 'Lan Fan' way if I'd tried. Ling put his hand on her shoulder like a real comrade and said, "Thank you, Lan Fan."

Lan Fan's eyes were fluttery and bright like she really did have new life in her. "I suppose I'll have to get used to being treated like a child again."

"You're the Emperor's personal guard," said Ling. "No one will treat you like a child. Not to your face, at least."

Maes nudged me with his elbow. "I'd give them a couple, maybe five years to get used to being the same age again."

I nodded. "Empress Lan Fan. Sounds awkward."

Maes shrugged. "Could always call her 'Mrs. Emperor Yao.'"

I sighed all goofy, watching them yack and smile at each other all happy on the bloody bed. I bumped Maes with my hip and whispered, "Nothing like a good case of Homunculi love."

"You just don't see enough of it these days," Maes chuckled.

"What is it," Ling asked, noticing us.

"Nothing," I said. "We're just happy it worked out okay."

Lan Fan stopped looking at her new arm for a second like she'd thought of something. "The Emperor said you handled his Philosopher's Stone again. Pardon me, but I would have expected you to be in hysterics right now. Did I miss something?"

"It's been a month," I said, figuring out how to answer. "I've learned how to control my life-force better. Handling other life-forces is easy once you understand how to use your own." Maes looked a little uneasy and hunched since he knew the whole story and he knew I wasn't going to tell it to them.

"You seem to have learned a lot," said Lan Fan with an uncharacteristically warm smile. "Thank you, Nina. You are impressive for the daughter of a Fuhrer. I am in your debt."

I smirked. "You say that like Fuhrer's daughters aren't supposed to be impressive."

Ling met Maes's eyes. "It's late. I'm sorry for calling her here so suddenly with such a commute. Please, stay the night. You are both more than welcome."

Maes looked at me. I laughed. Oh. Right. They didn't know. "Yeah, see, we sort of kind of have to be on our way. Uncle Ed's waiting for us back in Resembool. We sort of found a way to save his life."

Ling looked like he could vomit. "What?"

Maes was grinning. "Nina's an outright genius. We're building him organs from automail and then she's transmuting them into flesh to replace the tissue he damaged when he was impaled."

"Automail organs?" said Lan Fan. She hugged her arm that had been automail about fifteen minutes ago. "You can turn automail into live tissue without a Philosopher's Stone? Nina, that's unreal!"

I stopped smiling a little too abrupt. Ouch. Way to put it wrong, Lan Fan. I sucked my lip.

Maes spoke for me, "It really is incredible. It could save my dad. It is risky though, so we'd appreciate if you didn't repeat it to anybody."

Ling looked a little suspicious of the both of us, but he nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Not a word out of this room," said Lan Fan.

I couldn't bring myself to smile too terribly huge after that. They actually thought I'd just transferred those souls without using up souls to do it. I felt like such a freaking deceiver. But, as long as they didn't blab, it was best that they never know the whole deal. Maes looked at me like he knew what I was thinking about. He looked at Ling. "On second thought, I think we'd better crash here tonight. We can figure things out tomorrow."

I turned to him. "Maes?"

Ling nodded like he actually partially understood. Lan Fan stood up off the bed and brushed herself off like she was ready to take orders again. It was weird seeing her strong all the sudden. She'd just been bleeding and moaning all over the place.

"Should I have their rooms made up, Emperor?" she asked.

Ling paused. "No. The staff won't know who you are. They won't understand and it's best that they don't. We don't want it spreading that immortality can be shared. Lay low for now. I think it might be best that Lan Fan died tonight after all. You will be her replacement."

Very nice. Lan Fan looked reasonably impressed. "Yes, Emperor."

"Hey," I said, "can I choose an alias for you?"

"Antoinette," said Maes. Off the top of his head.

I looked at him. "Antoinette? That's the first alias that came to your mind?"

Maes shook his head. "No, I was going to say 'Pamela Hendrix,' but I didn't want to seem excessive."

"'Pamela Hendrix' is catchy." I shrugged. "I'd go with that over 'Antoinette.'"

* * *

REPLIES!

PhantomhiveHost: Nice to know this story's got an army of angry fangirls :D

KTrevo: Hm. I should make another special surprise so I can do that.

MYcookies: Maes and Nina hit the nail on the head. Lan Fan isn't the sort of person who should be allowed to die.

Avalon Thangarak: I saw a roach this afternoon. If my brother hadn't killed it for me, I wouldn't be posting right now. I'd still be hiding :P

pitstop96: Yeah, good thing she didn't call him her self-sacrificing dumbass. Awkward for the guard.

mixmax300: I should do a cliffhanger and immediately after start doing weekly posts instead of daily...

SavFFLover: I'll be sure to give you a heads up when my cousin starts posting :)

Polarized Penmanship: Guilty pleasure for gore. Not exactly the type, but I can't help it. (haha! Not exactly the 'blood' type! Pun.)

Hawkstang: I should make an altered version under that title where everyone I threaten to die actually dies.

Juliana Black Lichtler: My brother has a thing for goats. And foul. And petting zoos. He's this cool 16yr old guy and he has a thing for petting zoos...

TheKingOfOkay: I must find this café. And sample its toast. *hoping they have gluten-free bread to burn*

It's A Beautiful Tragedy: Not just heartless, SUPERBLY heartless, and I'm making you cry?! Accomplished.


	73. Chapter 73: Doubting Doubts

Author's Note: Catching up from yesterday, so back to back posts! Yay! (no replies as it's back-to-back)

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Chapter 73: Doubting Doubts

Maes and I left Lan Fan and Ling alone after a bit. They had some catching up to do. Kind of bizarre.

We had to pinch under our eyes so we'd look good and upset if anyone caught us and asked how Lan Fan was doing. She was supposed to be dead, of course. Ling had figured all those details out already. It was like he'd already figured them out before I'd even made her immortal. Maes and I got to our rooms so wired we wondered why we'd even bothered to ask for beds to sleep on. Maes insisted I at least try. In fact, he went to my room with me to make sure I tried. I felt freaking monitored, but he seemed to need something to do, so I let him nag me.

"You just handled a Philosopher's Stone, Nina," he said, fluffing my pillow like he was trying to entice me.

"I just handled two," I said. Ling's Stone and mine.

He put my pillow down. "How are you okay? Didn't you have to…?"

"I lost six of them," I said quickly. "I should've lost more, but Eight really held out."

Maes looked ill. I kind of regretted bragging on my friends' sacrifice, but it was sort of hard not to. I hadn't realized how it was for them, how big a relief it was to not be stuck going in circles inside my body anymore. I hadn't realized using themselves up on a good cause was what they'd been really waiting for. I hadn't realized how good it felt to let go, to be just a little less of a Philosopher's Stone with every friend I released.

I sighed because I knew he wasn't going to listen all the way. "I'll probably cry about it later. Subject Fifteen was one of my closer friends. He looked out for me after I got the gash that left the ugly scar on my stomach. But, Maes…" I smiled kind of gentle. "He was so happy to go. He'd been trapped for nineteen years and he finally got to do something besides circulate through me with the rest of my life-force over and over. He liked Ling. They all did. They were happy. And I'm happy for them."

Maes was kind of grey, completely uneasy. He forced a smile. He was so bluffing. "I'm happy for them, too. I'm happy for you. I'm glad all this was easier on you than last time. I just…"

"You wish I hadn't enjoyed it?"

Maes shuddered at the word 'enjoyed.' Okay, so maybe saying I enjoyed it was going a little far. It wasn't like using up my friends was fun, but it was a relief. I enjoyed the relief of it. I'd always thought I'd enjoyed feeling the flow of different life-forces. Turned out a big part of that feeling was letting go of my life-force to do it.

"Maes…"

He bowed his head. "Please, don't let it get too easy." He tightened his hands around my comforter. "Don't get good at this."

My heart broke for him. I could kind of tell at this point that he'd realized he would rather I was sobbing frantically and having raging nightmares like last time. But Sixteen and Fifteen had handled the souls for me for the manual parts this time. The chaotic flow was the only thing that hurt. This time around I'd known how to spare myself from the torment of directly touching the souls in Ling's Stone.

"I have fourteen left," I said. "That's more than enough to save your dad, then I'm done. I won't touch another life-force again, Maes. No worries."

Maes kept his eyes down. "I have a question."

Uh oh. "Yeah?"

He was quiet for a moment. "If something went wrong during the procedure and my dad crashed, you would use your life-force to heal him completely without the automail to help you. I know you would. How many more souls would that take?"

Ugh. "I don't know."

"Guess."

I sucked my lip. I didn't want to work it out right now. I was having fun being happy about my friends before I got sad they were gone.

"Nina, please."

I plopped next to him. The both of us still had Lan Fan's blood on our hands and arms and clothes, mostly me. It was dried by now, mostly. "I really don't know. But…without outside help, I'd be making something out of nothing to heal his injuries. I don't know the whole deal with the damage, but depending on how much there was to repair on him and how I handled it, it could take my last fourteen. Easily. But, you already knew that. You just wanted to make sure I did."

Maes nodded. "Alright then. We're on the same page." He put his hand over my hand and met my eyes. "Sleep, Nina. Please. It makes me feel like you're gaining some of your life-force back somehow."

Idiot. I had enough life-force right now for fourteen besides me. I didn't have any need to gain stuff back. It was never mine to begin with. But I nodded and got under the covers for him without even showering or changing into stuff that didn't have spatters of red stained onto it. He took his regular chair next to my bed like he planned on watching me again. Freaking guard dog. Darn cute freaking guard dog.

He pushed my bangs out of my eyes. He'd left the bedside lamp on at my request. I didn't like sleeping in pitch dark with him in the room. It just seemed awkward for him to be sitting there in the dark silence until I screamed myself awake every few hours. This way he could at least read a book or count window-panes or something.

"I still can't believe what you did in there," he said. "You changed lives, Nina. Again."

"Good thing?"

Maes cracked a smile. "Very good thing."

I sucked the smile off my lip kind of slow. "For a while I regretted coming to Xing. I don't anymore. I'm glad I came with you."

"It's dangerous," said Maes, "not taking the time to sift through the good and the bad. Throw out the bad and throw out the good with it, or take the good but accept the bad as part of it? It's hard to separate the good from the equation and get it on its own. It's often impossible."

"You seem to do okay," I said with a semi-tired smile.

"That's because you can't appreciate a good thing until you've experienced a bad one." Maes laughed short. "I'm a very appreciative person."

I reached my arm out of the covers and touched his stomach right under his automail, felt it breathe. "Yeah, guess you are."

"You too," he said, taking my hand off his automail and holding it in his lap. He took my other hand and did the same. Oh, right. Didn't bring any band-aids for tonight. "Go ahead and shut your eyes. I won't let you burn down the Palace."

I grumbled, "How noble of you," and shut my eyes for him. "Love you, Maes."

"I love you, too," he said quietly. "Good with the bad."


	74. Chapter 74: OVA Team Nina

Author's Note: Oh, yes. I went there.

* * *

Chapter 74: OVA Team Nina

Nina: Alright. That's it. I have had it with this crap about 'poor Maes.' He's had it rough, but I have too, you get me? So, what's with all you dumb fangirls taking his freaking side all the time?

Maes: I'm just a sweetie.

Nina: Bullshit. You've said some dang awful junk to me same as I have to you. You've said some dang awful junk to a lot of people, stuff I couldn't pull off with these readers.

Maes: That's because you lack, 'Maes effect.'

Nina: Screw your flipping 'Maes effect'! If I had a penis, those fangirls would be swooning for the 'Nina effect.'

Maes: …I don't think so.

Nina: Oh, come on. I'm hot. Imagine the equivalent of this body on a dude.

Maes: I'm trying not to.

Nina: I have a traumatic past full of all kinds of abusive junk. I've got some gorgeous scars, too. And then I have a hard time crying. Yep, girls love the stoic type. To top it off, I've got attitude. Oh, jeez! Maes, I'm a freaking badass.

Maes: Not seeing the draw.

Nina: Shut up, wheezy. I've got an idea.

Maes: Wheezy? That's horrible!

...

Nina: Okay, I just got unbridled approval from our Author. Looks like it's a go, Maes! Ladies and gentleman, I give you…

Flame Legacy Fantasy: The Adventures of Nino

Maes: Nino? Really?

Author: I looked it up for her. It's actually a name.

Maes: …I'll make a note of that.

Author: You're playing Maesy again.

Maes: Oh, God.

Author: Take it away, Nina! …Nino?

My eyes pretty much flashed open into night darkness, pulling me into consciousness so fast my head rushed. I took a breath. It felt good, so I took another, and another. My chest ached from holding my breath too long. I felt Maesy's cool hand on my cheek. "Just a dream, Nino."

Her touch made me shudder. It wasn't her fault. Usually I was more or less a fan of those cool fingers on my face. Just hands in general made me uneasy right now. I shrunk away from her. Her hand reminded me of the black hand that had eaten my face, the shadowy reach of that damn Portal from my nightmare.

Maesy touched my sweat-damp head, still not getting a clue. "Do you need me to keep you awake for a while?"

I nodded under her hand. She leaned to flip on a bedside lamp. The light bounced around the room like a freaking beacon, practically blinding me. I squinted a little, getting my bearings. I got upright enough to look around for my shirt. I'd tossed in on the floor or something. Usually I just slept in my pants, but I didn't like Maesy seeing me topless. She said she didn't mind, but I didn't like her looking at my scars. Just didn't seem right to let people see.

Maesy took the hint and grabbed yesterday's t-shirt off the floor next to my bed and handed it to me. I switched it right-side out and pulled it over my head, feeling the leftover drips of cool sweat on my body absorb into the cotton as it hit. Maesy sat next to the bed patiently in her chair, just watching all sad and junk with those big gold eyes of hers. Of all the things she could be looking sad at, it had to be me.

"I'm okay," I said, sitting back against the headboard. "It's done."

"Don't lie," said Maesy, looking hurt like always. "Please, just don't."

I stretched a strained smile across my face. I could already tell she wasn't buying it. "I wasn't lying. I was exaggerating. There's a difference."

"I see." She forced a smile back at me since she knew I was trying. I caught her looking at my hands. "Do you want to take your band-aids off? Give your fingers some air while you're awake?" She reached for my hand before I even gave an answer, getting half a grasp on me before I could yank away.

"Don't!" I said, leaning more at the wall. I watched how bugged and worried her eyes got at my voice. I played it over in my head. Yep, I sounded terrified. Almost like screaming. I looked down at my knees, face hot. I bit my lip and sat up straighter again against the headboard. "Please, just don't touch me right now."

She nodded real understanding. "Alright, Nino."

I could see her looking at the exposed bits of me around my arms and lower legs, the bare skin revealing old scars I hadn't been covering up around her lately. I receded self-consciously. She was thinking I was shying from her because I was remembering being beaten again. Yeah, if only. These scars were nothing. I'd take a lifetime of getting the tar kicked out of me over going once through that damn Portal of Truth.

I breathed shaky, still freaking shaky. "Tell me something good."

Maesy smiled that cute crooked smile of hers, the smile she knew I liked to see. "My mom called late last night after you turned in. Said my dad's been on his feet for the past couple of days."

"No fevers?"

She shook her head all excited. That was good. He'd been down for a while. I'd been worried we were running out of serious time. Poor girl had been through enough without having an expiration date on her daddy. Good to see her so relieved.

She yawned.

"Maesy, you tired?" I said.

"Not really," she said with a droop to her gold eyes. She ran a hand through her honey hair like she was waking herself up with it. "Just a little."

I couldn't help but laugh just a little at how hard she was trying and still failing miserably. "Maesy, you're freaking exhausted. Go to bed. I'm good here."

She shook her head, blinking herself awake. "I'm fine. I don't want you to be alone. You had a bad day."

I shrugged since she was kind of right about that one. "More like a bad afternoon. But, come on, Maesy. Not every afternoon is going to be Philosopher's Stone free. We knew that when we started this phase."

She stared at her bony knees. "It scares me, seeing you cry."

I felt the underneath of my eyes get warm. So, she was still on about that. I tried to look like I wasn't bothered. "I tried not to. It just hurt a lot this time. More than I'm used to. It's over. I'm okay now."

Maesy was looking at me tense like she wanted to give me a hug something fierce. I kind of wanted her hugs, but I didn't know that I could take it right now. Not after…

I scrunched my eyes closed, leaning back and breathing. Damn Gate.

I felt her hand on my shoulder. "Nino?"

I jerked away like a reflex. Stupid reflex. I opened my eyes at her. She wasn't looking too settled. Her gaze was wet and heavy like she was responsible for all my problems, plus half the world's. Dummy.

I bit my lip. "Maesy, do you think you could…hug me without your hands?"

She knit her brow, a little less heavy and a little more puzzled. "Without my…?"

"Like, sort of just hug me without letting your hands touch me." Damn. I sounded like an idiot.

But Maesy smiled up at me with that crooked grin and held her arms out for me like she thought this was all normal. "I can do that," she said. "Come here."

I cuddled into her wiry arms and let her hold me with her hands stretched away from touching me. I cradled her close against me, feeling her automail poke at my chest as it breathed for her, smelling the unexplainable sweet corn smell nestled in her gold hair. I got hot for her, because guys are allowed to be perverted. And all that lying I did about being okay and junk was just in the past, because I had a gorgeously chiseled body and that meant I was allowed to keep my angst to myself. Because when you're a sexy dude with stark skin, china-blue eyes, and ink-black hair, you get away with never telling your love-interest all your junk. It's not lying if you're a hottie. It's 'protecting.' Yep. All that 'lying' I did to poor, poor sweet Maesy was all to protect her. I'll have fangirls lining up for me in no time because I am so flipping male.

Maes: Okay! I get it. You win, Nina. I have an unfair advantage over you as far as fangirls are concerned.

Nina: You know, this is actually getting pretty good. I think I might just keep going.

Maes: No. No, please!

Nina: "…so I sent Maesy to the kitchen to make me a sandwich…"

Maes: I get it, Nina!

Nina: "…and I forced her to drink three bottles of milk in a row, because I have washboard abs, so I get away with doing cruel stuff like that to female protagonists…"

Maes: I'm getting the Author! I'm telling!

*Author is currently feasting on a bag of organic popcorn and enjoying the show*

Edward: Jeez, Roybecca. These OVAs just keep getting weirder and weirder. I'm starting to wonder if it's a good thing or a bad thing the Author saw our kids turning out like this.

Roy: Yeah, looking back to our lives back in the FMAB series, this does seem a little extreme. ...Did you just call me 'Roybecca'?

Edward: This is a gender-swap chapter, right, honey?

Roy: I am not your honey!

Edward: What, you like 'dearest' better, Roybecca?

Roy: So help me, Edwina…

Edward: How about, 'precious'?

Roy: That's it!

Edward: Winry, get the hose! Oh, damn!

*Author, Nina, and Maes are currently feasting on a bag of organic popcorn and enjoying the show*

Roy: You're mine, Edwina!

Edward: Feel the power of my sprinkler system, sweetie-sparks!

The End

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REPLIES!

pistop96: I liked Antoinette...

sillymessycrazy: Aw, thanks. I like sharing my gift. It's hard to enjoy when you don't.

SavFFLover: I've actually made up a lot of stories about Ling and Lan Fan in my head like I've done with the other characters, so I just used a shortened version here :P Had it in mind from the beginning *evil grin*

KTrevo: You have some rigid conditions for this story...

PhantomhiveHost: I swear, this story's so emotional, it must be bringing on placebo PMS across the world.

mixmax300: Funny you should say that about it being passed down. My brother (an actually fit Armstrong) was getting excited and really wanting to use that method of torture. Sometimes he reminds me of Maes. Right then he reminded me of Nina.

long live marshmallows: "Awesome! Awesome! Awsoooommmee!" -all Ed can think to say in Rush Valley after the baby is born

Harryswoman: Thanks! I've been looking forward to writing those chapters out for...months :O

Hawkstang: Haha! What goes on in my head when I'm alone? Oh, golly. You don't even know.

xXEmiShaeXx: Oh, joy. Another rioter to add to my 'threat' list. Who knew good writing could be so dangerous? Haha, glad to have you reading :)

It's A Beautiful Tragedy: If your tears bring me joy, does that make them 'tears of joy'? :O

Juliana Black Lichtler: Haha, thanks! So fun to write :D

very-chan: Ling and Lan Fan are too sweet together to leave 20 yrs apart for eternity.

AlchemistLeigh95: Lan Fan and her formal-ness is adorable :P

DanniMaeAnime92: Ha! I memorized your penname! *unspeakably proud of herself* Thanks for commenting even under inconvenience :P

SiilverLit: I'd love for you to do fan-art out of this! That'd be something worth seeing. Let me know if you do it :D


	75. Chapter 75: Desert Rail

Author's Note: **IMPORTANT!** Okay, so I finally decided to check my stats of chapter views for the first time in forever, and I noticed that currently my** Chapter 72: Homuncu****li** only has about half the views as the following, **Chapter 73: Doubting Doubts**. I'm thinking this is because I posted both at the same time to catch up all at once and then people just didn't realize** there were TWO new chapters** up rather than just the most recent one. Oopsy. Just a heads up if that happened to you and you've been confused :S

Also! Ginger Kaga has the next chapter up on, 'The Next Step in Life,' if you're interested. It's our co-fic, in case you didn't know, and Ginger Kaga is great! Winry's POV :O

No replies this post. Sorry. I did read your reviews, but you're lucky to be getting a chapter out of me right now, haha :P

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Chapter 75: The Desert Rail

I slept in! Holy dang! Nina Mustang actually slept in! Not like my dreams were exactly pleasant, but I actually managed to sleep freaking through them! Really not too sure I'd ever slept more than four hours straight without bolting up before trying to fall back asleep every night, but I did it this time. I woke up and my wall-clock said half past eleven in the morning! So, sure, I'd been up a lot of the night splitting Ling's Stone into Lan Fan, but it was still a pretty late time for me to be waking up.

I bounced on out of bed and went for a victory shower, grabbing a complementary silky robe-like dress out of the closet on my way to my bathroom. Xing Palace was way cooler than any fancy Amestrian hotel. Hands down.

Maes and I ate lunch with Ling and 'Lan Fan' in Ling's room where he was allegedly 'mourning.' Kind of freaky seeing Lan Fan sitting there stuffing rice and lemongrass beef in her teenage face next to Ling. She used to be old enough to be my mom. A young mom, but still a dang mom. Now she was…adorable. Shudder much?

"Fumika!" Maes said, appalled. "But that's so boring. What about Antoinette?"

"And Pamela Hendrix!" I added.

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. "Maybe those names work in Amestris—"

Maes set his bowl down hard. "Of course they don't!"

"But 'Fumika' sounds a little like 'Fu' at the beginning," continued Lan Fan. "The Emperor and I thought it would be fitting for my grandfather to share in our immortality since he was the only other of us involved in obtaining the Philosopher's Stone. His name will live forever."

Twenty years younger and she still talked like a freaking literature textbook. I pouted. "Yeah, yeah. I guess that is pretty dang sweet."

Maes shrugged. "There's always your middle name."

Ling looked queasy. "You two are something else."

Maes smiled. "Thanks, Uncle Ling. I appreciate that." He picked up his bowl and scooped a pile of fried rice into his mouth with his chopsticks. I'd kind of already finished. I was a real wolfer when I wasn't feeling sick. Kind of not really ladylike so said Janie from Public Relations, but I was allowed to eat like a pig among friends. After all the time I'd spent around Maes, I was starting to think I'd probably eat how I wanted in front of pretty much anybody after all this.

Lan Fan folded a milk-white leg over the other. First time I'd seen her in clothes that didn't resemble a black unisex spy-warrior uniform. Apparently looking that legit would make people suspicious with the original Lan Fan dying last night. Now she was wearing the normal silky robe-dress thing, same as me. I took private delight seeing Ling look at her kind of surprised every once in a while, like, 'Jeez! Who is that beautiful creature and why does she look so familiar?' Yep, me and my six friends had done that to her, for her and for Ling. She was looking dang cute and openly feminine because I'd sucked it up and helped. Good going Nina!

"So, when do you plan on heading out?" said Ling, reaching for his fourth portion. "Not that we want you to leave, but Ed…"

"He's actually doing really well right now," said Maes. "He was declining pretty steadily for a while and we were worried he wouldn't bounce back this time like he usually does, but a few days ago he just started eating again. Mom says he's been going outside, walking." Maes laughed to himself. "My dad's a lot of things, but if there's one thing he's not, it's predictable."

"We still want to head over there soon just to be safe," I said. "I mean, personally I'd like a little cushion of time on this one. We don't really know what we're doing."

Maes nodded.

Ling chuckled. "Well, you could've fooled me last night. I barely recognized you, Nina. No offense, but the last time you handled my Philosopher's Stone didn't go quite that gracefully."

"None taken," I said. My smile was a little half-hearted, because Ling had no idea just how exactly I'd managed to stay in better control this time. And he'd never know. My friends deserved a little credit for their sacrifice. But they'd known they'd never get any.

"I think we'll head out sooner than later," said Maes. "I want to get back to Uncle Al's and Aunt Mei's before rush-hour."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I'd like to check in on them before we go to Resembool. I know they said everything was fine, but it freaked me out. I want to see Auntie with my own eyes."

Maes nodded. "We need to look over our plan of action again. Uncle Al's not going to want to leave Aunt Mei in her condition. We might want to call Grandma and ask her to stay with my family until Uncle Al can make it over. Just as a safety net."

"In her condition?" said Ling, a little wide in the eyes. "What's wrong with Mei?"

"Was she injured?" Lan Fan asked worriedly, holding her healed tummy where the bullets had been the worst. "The Yao Supremists didn't make any attacks beyond…"

Maes and I laughed. "She's fine," said Maes. "She's just very pregnant. She went into early labor yesterday afternoon, but the doctors got it under control and she should be home sometime today. Nina and I just wanted to check in before we leave."

Ling got pale. "My sister's pregnant?"

"Yeah," said Maes excitedly.

"Again?"

"Yeah."

Ling sank in his seat, traumatized. "How did I not know about this?"

Maes shrugged. "They didn't tell our family either."

Lan Fan looked kind of yellowish green and speechless. She gulped down the food in her mouth and shuddered. "Another. That woman is a machine."

"You guys are wimps," I said. "Hey, you're going to be an uncle! Again!"

"Oh, dear God," Ling said like he was crying out for mercy. "It's frightening how many times I've been made an uncle. Do you have any idea how many siblings I have? I have forty two brothers and sisters. That is a lot of nieces and nephews."

Maes looked confused. "But, you only have twenty one and a half siblings' worth of nieces and nephews. All of those brothers and sisters are half-brothers and half-sisters, right?"

"Yeah, Uncle Ling!" I said. "See, it's not so bad."

Ling rested his forehead in his palm and shook his head. "Please don't call me your uncle again. I don't think I can handle any more of this right now. I have a meeting in an hour with the highest officials in Xing to discuss our next move concerning the Yao Supremist movement. I can't be thinking about my little sister having babies."

"Well, actually, Aunt Mei's thirty five years old, Uncle Ling," said Maes. "She's not very little anymore. Trust me. You should see the side of her tummy. Like a giant beach-ball under her dress."

Ling groaned.

Lan Fan whispered to us like a mother. "Being immortal gets disorienting sometimes. Just give him a minute."

I wondered if this had been how it was for Ling when Uncle Ed had told him that he was going to be a dad. Maybe a little easier to swallow since Uncle Ed had not been Ling's thirty five year old baby sister.

There was a pretty harsh rap at Ling's big bedroom door. Ling was looking like usually he would've answered it with sluggish gloom and doom at this point, but the knock really was dang urgent. Ling jumped to his feet and headed over. I watched Lan Fan tense up, trying not to jump up with him like she usually would have. Ling opened the door a crack, saw the face on the other side, and slipped out into the hall, shutting the door on us. Lan Fan looked really distressed, like she wasn't used to having the door shut on her. This 'Fumika' thing would take some getting used to.

Maes looked a little tense himself, watching the door, like he was thinking of something the rest of us hadn't thought of yet. I sucked my lip. Maes was way smart and usually more rational than the average person. If he was looking troubled by something as simple as Ling stepping out in a hurry, I was pretty dang troubled myself.

"What do you think?" I said, looking up at Maes.

He shook his head kind of distant. "It's nothing. I just caught a glimpse of the guy through a crack in the hinges. I recognized him."

"Who?" said Lan Fan.

Maes met her eyes significantly. "Did Ling's meeting this afternoon include the head representative of the Desert Rail? I recognized him from the advertisement posters at the stations. Glasses, frown lines, white goat-beard?"

The blood drained from Lan Fan's face. She stood without a word and made her way decisively toward the door.

"Lan Fan!" Maes said sternly.

"He shouldn't be here," she said, taking the knob. "He should be on a morning train to Amestris for a board meeting in Central. Our countries have been planning this for months. We only have these twice a year. I have to go. Something's not right."

I bit down on my lip. Oh. Flipping. Damn.

Maes watched her go, stunned into motionlessness. I'd kind of just expected him to trot after her all stubborn about being included, but he just sat still. Eyes numb like murky golden mud.

"Maes, it's nothing," I said, fudging my way. "You're dad's good for now. If there's a delay at the station, I'm sure he'll be plenty able to hold out. No rush, remember?"

"No," said Maes quietly. "No, this isn't a delay. A delay means a phone call, a higher-up staff member in management paying a visit. That was the head of the entire Desert Rail. I memorized his face. I don't forget faces. I'm one of those people who can't forget."

"I know," I assured him. He was talking like I didn't believe him. "Just…tell me how it is, Maes. Damage report." Oh, jeez. I sounded like my dad.

Maes laced his hands together and clenched them hard until his fingers went pale yellow. He relaxed them. "All I can figure is, one way or another, they're closing the station. I don't know how long, but for the head guy to be here in person without notice, I'd say they're planning on closing for a steady while."

"Why?" I said. "Technical difficulty? If it's international relations or whatever, just let me give my dad a call. We'll be out of here in no time."

Maes smiled frailly at that, but his heart wasn't all in it. "My best guess is the Yao Supremists didn't just make threats to the Palace last night. I was thinking that was why Ling was in such a hurry to meet with the officials. If the Supremists followed through here, who's to say they won't follow through everywhere else? I'm sure Xing Station was on their list of possible targets."

Oh, no. No, no, no. Not allowed. "Maes, we don't know anything yet. Just your best guess, right? Doesn't mean it's accurate."

Maes nodded, like a silent 'thank you' for my failed attempt at reassurance. We both knew full well he didn't get things wrong too often. At least, not all the way. "Nina, I'm not sure I see things with these terrorists getting much better until things get a lot worse for a while. I think Xing will get through it, but it's going to be more than a week. Very possibly over a month. If things get serious, really serious…it could be a year." His breathing got shaky. "And I don't know if my dad's going to make it that long."

"My dad's the freaking Fuhrer of Amestris. No way are we going to be marooned here when he finds out. I'll get you out."

"Shutting down the station," said Maes, "means temporarily shutting out foreign countries' interference. Your father would have to declare war and march on Xing to get to us by force."

He'd totally do that. I wasn't sure if Maes realized. But he was kind of right. My dad being the Fuhrer actually made the situation worse in some respects. Okay, a lot of respects. Maes was talking about a political mess going on in Xing. Now the daughter of the Fuhrer of Amestris was being held hostage by the tyrannical government. Dear goodness. I was as much of a bother as Lan Fan had made me out to be the first day I met her.

I looked at him, rubbed his forearm soothingly. "He's stronger, Maes. You said so yourself. He's been feeling better. He'll hold out. No matter how long it takes for us to get back, he'll wait for you. He won't give up on you. I've seen him, Maes. No one loves you like your dad does. He'll hold on."

Maes's eyes got shiny and he blinked kind of like he would cry. This wasn't happening. Maes wasn't going to sob silently on my shoulder over the loss of his father, not again. Been there, done that. I gripped his arm, my lip in my mouth. I met his eyes all focused like my dad. "We're going to call Uncle Al at the hospital. Call him now, Maes. He's had a heck of a lot more experience with this travel stuff than either of us. He'll know what to do."

Maes looked at me for a moment then nodded decisively. "You're right. Before the Rail was built, people crossed the desert on foot or by camels. It takes significantly longer than a three-day train, but if we have to…" Maes trailed off, putting his hand over his chest's automail and clutching it. "Only if we have too." I took it desert heat made for uncomfortable automail.

Maes gave me a quick 'thank you' hug as he got up then half-ran to the Emperor's personal phone. I watched him dial the number to the Chang district's hospital to ask for Uncle Al, not even checking a phonebook for the number like a normal person. He'd memorized the number off the reference sheet Aunt Mei had left us as easily as he'd memorized the Desert Rail official's face. There was no doubt in my head. Maes was one of those who didn't forget. Because he couldn't.


	76. Chapter 76: Family Emergency

Author's Note: I'll warn you when it's about to end. Not yet.

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Chapter 76: Family Emergency

"Checked out early?" Maes took on a blank stare and held it. His eyes widened. "What kind of family emergency?"

I folded my hands on my lap and pressed my thumbs together, suddenly kind of wishing I'd held off on telling Maes to call his uncle. I'd thought it was a fool-proof course of action at this point. It was starting to look like I'd been very wrong.

Maes slammed the phone down and lifted it back up to his ear immediately, not pausing a second before setting his fingers to work dialling a new number. I knew better than to ask. Maes held the phone to his ear in motionless pretty much silence. I could see his body breathing. He was starting to panic again, worse than to begin with. His eyes flashed a little, like he was waking up with a start. He pressed the phone closer to his ear. "Can you get Uncle Al?"

Wow. Not even a, 'Glad you're feeling better, Auntie!' thrown in there.

Maes sucked in a breath and let it out in a loud, "What are you talking about?" His eyes got wide in a scared kind of way. "We're still in Xing."

Then the worse thing ever happened. Maes's eyes got even wider and they stayed wide. His breaths got shallow and quick and his hand trembled from clutching the phone too hard. His stare got blank, the only expression being his wide scared eyes. His jaw went a little slack and he shook his head, staring forward and saying nothing. He continued to shake his head.

"You're wrong," he said. His breath trembled. "No, she said he was fine. I just talked to him. He was fine!" Maes breathed faster. He shook his head more intense and his eyes got wider. His face showed more expression in the mouth and it was starting to look just as angry as it was terrified. Wildly angry. "No, he said he was fine! He said we had time!" The phone slipped from his hand and he sank to his knees clumsily.

I felt my insides clenching at the way this was sounding. I got up and ran over to Maes, reaching for the phone he'd left hanging off the hook. Aunt Mei's voice was saying his name worriedly out the receiver as it dangled and swung next to him. I got a hand on it, but Maes reached and yanked it roughly from me. He hung it up and stared forward like his mind was gone. His eyes had no depth. None. Just flat panels of gold on whites. He shook his head.

I knelt close to him, trying to hide the fact that my body was trying to shake. I poked his knee just in case he needed to be informed that I was there.

He kept shaking his head. "It's over, Nina. He won't last a week."

I felt my jaw freeze, lock itself partially ajar and useless. All I could do was shake my head same as him.

"Uncle Al got the call last night. Bai relayed it to the hospital from the house after we had her come over to watch the girls." Maes stopped shaking his head. He looked at me. "She got the call from mom ten minutes after we left."

"Maes…?" Not really asking anything specific. Just a general, 'What the hell is life doing to us?'

"Bai misunderstood and told Uncle Al we were already headed to the station. He got on the midnight-thirty train thinking we'd made it too. He already told my mom last night that we were on our way. Dad thinks we're on our way."

"Maes…" I began.

Maes stood, eyes sparking with amber. "He's puking blood!"

I really had no idea what I was supposed to say to that.

Maes looked away like he was aware he'd just raised his voice and he hadn't meant to. He looked back at me. "He was throwing up all day and they had him on an IV to rehydrate him like usual…It just started coming up red. They don't know why."

But old injuries from being impaled probably included some legit internal bleeding. This was definitely a direct sign Uncle Ed's time was running out in a major way. His old wounds wouldn't hold together much longer.

"Can we leave?" I asked, standing with him. "Just leave? I mean, maybe the Desert Rail guy was just consulting Ling. Maybe they haven't done anything for real just yet. I guess chances aren't good, but if we hurry to the Station now…" I figured it might be a good idea to try to get out before any plans to shut Xing down more or less solidified.

Maes tugged my wrist, beginning at a quick pace for the door. His expression was a little firmer, more resolved, but I'd seen how it had been changing so quickly with every new development. There was no telling how long this would last, how long before I had to prevent another total breakdown.

"Let's go," he said, coming to the door. "I'll transmute the traffic aside if I have to. If anything, I promised him six years ago I'd be there to say goodbye."

What a dang tragic thing to say at a time like this. I'd had a plan. I was going to save Uncle Ed, dammit! No more talk of 'goodbyes.'

Maes grabbed my sleeve and pulled me down the hall like he was leading me by a dog leash. I let him. If feeling me tangibly keeping pace with him was what he needed, then I'd willingly suffer a little of being handled.

"Wait!" Lan Fan said from way back in the hall. I turned. She was jogging to us in her little silky dress, waving her new hand more like a signal than a greeting. "The Station just went on lockdown and the roads have been blocked off and rerouted all across the Capital. Wait until the panic has died down or you'll be stuck in traffic past dark."

The sun didn't set until late evening in Xing this time of year. I felt Maes's fingers tightening on my sleeve, bunching the cloth. No response besides that, but it was enough. It said everything. Everything we were both thinking.

"I think," he said with lowered eyes, "I need to call my dad now."

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REPLIES!

I sense lots of threats in my future after this chapter.

Polarized Penmanship: Maybe Maes is really their secret lovechild from an office party gone wild :O ...No. Can't justify that.

pitstop96: I'm a little bit of a fan of plot twists, if you can believe that :P

KTrevo: Genius is hereditary, actually. A genetic mutation often paired with mood disorders :S Maes makes a mean grilled cheese.

MYcookies: Hm. I feel like this chapter just went against your review on a lot of levels. ...Sorry :S

xXEmiShaeXx: I'd like to see Nina cross a desert. Maes would probably be stoic about it, but she would probably not :P

SavFFLover: I used to love playing 'Twister' when I was a kid. And drinking the juice, 'Twister.' Foreshadowing?

mixmax300: HA! The pants! Roy would 'weld' the fibers of Maes's pants into his skin. Problem solved :D


	77. Chapter 77: Goodbye, Daddy

Author's Note: Caught up.

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Chapter 77: Goodbye, Daddy.

I felt kind of awkward sitting there in Maes's room with him as he called up his folks, but he'd looked so freaking terrified when he'd asked me not to leave him alone. I couldn't help staying after seeing his eyes that wide.

The phone shook in his hand, not because he was holding it too tight this time, but because his whole body was shaking just a little. Strange enough, he didn't seem like he was even trying not to cry, unlike last time we'd thought his dad was as good as gone and he'd sobbed into my shoulder until he fell asleep. It was like he was in shock and the tears hadn't even thought to come yet.

He stared forward, focused tensely on the wall, tapping his fingers on his lap all rapid and compulsive. For a few beats he just sat like that, then his hand clenched abruptly on the phone and he took in a quick, shaking breath. He closed his eyes like it wasn't real. "Dad, is that you?" Maes's expression melted into a weak smile. Strange. I'd never been near a call from Uncle Ed where I couldn't hear his loud banter resonating from the receiver when he answered. It shook me up just a bit and I realized I was in kind of a stunted state of shock myself.

"Good to hear your voice too," Maes said, obviously having to put effort into keeping his tone steady. "Really good." Maes took a breath. "Dad, I…I messed up. Nina and I…" Maes paused, straightening like he'd been jabbed. "Auntie called you? I just talked to her…No, I was just caught off guard. I didn't mean to hang up in her face. I'm fine, Dad. I…" Maes shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Dad. I promised I'd be with you."

Then Maes got this look, this horrible, agonized look, almost like he was in physical pain. I watched his eyes well and threaten to spill over. He put his face in one hand and shook his bowed head, silent, not even sobbing. "No, Dad," he said. His voice came out a lot stronger than his body language. His words didn't falter. Out of duty. "It's okay. You don't have to worry about me anymore. Don't you dare die thinking it wasn't enough." Maes swallowed hard. "Don't even think that. If I didn't know better, I'd bring you back to life just to knock some sense into you."

Now he was sounding just like his dad. I felt a sob lurch in my chest at that thought. I bit down on my lip. Not the time to make a scene.

But it seemed like Uncle Ed had beat me to it. Maes got that worried face again and the strength in his voice fell away completely. "No, Dad. No, don't cry. Don't talk. You'll make yourself…Dad, please. You're going to…" Maes closed his eyes tight. He breathed a couple breaths. "Goodbye, Daddy." He hung up.

For a while, Maes just sat there, head back, eyes shut, hand still on the hung-up phone. I sat still, afraid to even breathe. A short trickle of tears leaked from Maes's shut eyes and ran down the sides of his face. He opened his eyes and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He didn't bother to wipe his eyes. The tears were done. He was numb again, closed off.

"He started to sound like he'd throw up again," said Maes. "So I hung up. I thought I'd get to talk longer than that, but I made him cry. I made him cry for real. My dad never cries like that. Not since I nearly died, and I wasn't even awake for that. I didn't think that would happen."

I wondered if I was allowed to respond. He looked like he was looking for a response. "He doesn't have much time left," I said, "no matter what. Maybe it stressed his body, but maybe he needed to cry. Maybe he needed his baby to make him cry one last time. You didn't hurt him, Maes. As far as he's concerned, he'll be dying in your arms when the time comes."

Maes gasped on a breath. "This isn't happening."

"No one else could have given him what you just gave him, Maes. Only you."

Maes smiled fondly through the hurt in his eyes. "You know what he told me? He said the only reason he made me promise to be there with him when he died…was so I'd be determined to live that long. He tricked me into outliving him, Nina. He tricked me into overcoming my guilt and I never even saw it. This whole time, he's been preparing me for this day. He spent the past six years making sure I'd never deny myself happiness because I lived and he didn't."

"And did it work?"

Maes cracked a smile, a real one. He lifted his head. "Of course it did. My dad's a professional at fooling people into thinking he's gaining anything by helping them. How do you think he saved Amestris on the Promised Day?" Maes was looking more stable again and I gave myself a private pat on the back for asking the right question. Maes looked at the ceiling. "He's amazing, you know that? I know he'll never say it…Don't ever repeat this, especially around my Uncle. I don't think Dad ever really saw getting his own body back as a priority. Risking what he did for a couple of limbs isn't like my dad. I think…I know he let Uncle Al think it was for both of them. He got Uncle Al through all those years by convincing him he needed Uncle Al's help. For an arm and a leg!" Maes chuckled. "So, Uncle Al never gave up."

"Just like you."

"Just like me."

I took Maes's hand. Just seemed like the right thing to do. "You tricked him into living as long as he did. You may not have realized you were doing it, probably him neither, but the way you loved and valued your dad all your life…I think you're what kept him alive all this time. You fooled him into giving it everything he had. And he got to see you get well. You fooled him into living long enough to see the day I healed your automail. He'll miss out on some things, a lot of things. But, Maes, you gave your dad six years of things he didn't miss."

Maes was looking watery again, but in the more stable way. Less like he'd fall into hysterics this time. He squeezed my hand. I smiled gently like a preschool teacher. "Everyone has their time. In the end, lifespan doesn't make a difference. There will always be things to miss out on. What matters to us in the end is what we did with the time we had. I don't think your dad wasted a second. I think he knows that."

Maes swung his arm around my shoulders and rested his cheek on my head. "You always know what to say, don't you? You pretend you only know how to say the wrong thing around other people, but you're just the only person in the world not afraid to be honest. You understand people better than they understand themselves."

"No one understands themselves. No joke."

Maes hugged me a little. I heard a sniffle. "How do you know my dad so well? I never realized any of what you said about him until now."

My hand made its way to my heart, resting just under my collar. "I have some friends who taught me a lot about lifespan versus quality of life." I smiled a little meek. "And they like your dad very much. They wanted to die for his quality of life. Even if it meant cutting their lifespans short."

Maes got that soft look in his golden eyes, and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. But then he pulled his arm from around my shoulders and rested his hand gently on my back, like, 'Good work, son.' But he put his other hand over my hand, just below my collar bone, and shifted my fingers gently down a couple inches. He let go of my hand and touched the bare space under the nape of my neck with his fingertips and thumb. He looked pretty much forlorn, but not like earlier. Not the grief stricken expression over his dying father. He almost looked…sorry.

His eyes rested on the space under my neck where I'd had my hand. His touch lightened. "Thank you for trying. I'm sorry I ever tried to stop you."

Was he talking to my life-force? Somehow that thought itself brought me closer to tears than Uncle Ed's oncoming death had. I felt his touch begin to draw away and I stopped him, holding his palm under my collar bone where he could feel my blood pulse through me with every heartbeat. "They forgive you."

Maes pressed his hand on my pulse, feeling the blood rushing from chest to neck. "If I kiss you, will they be watching?"

"I try not to think about it."

Maes hunched to meet my lips, kissing real gentle like he was kissing my cheek. Was he being sweet, or had my life-force just made him self-conscious?

"What the hell are you doing?" I jumped in my skin at the booming voice. Oh, dear God. That voice. Maes pulled from me a little, my hand still holding his hand against my pulse. I was afraid to look, but Maes went rigid like he'd totally seen the inevitable. The inevitable. "Get away from my daughter so I can burn you alive!"

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REPLIES!

KTrevo: Bow and arrow, huh? Coolest weapon ever! If I had to die, that would be a dang cool way to go :D

bakacoconut69: Yeah, but I posted another short chapter really soon afterward. Not that it helped.

Flow123: I feel like we're in a war. I'm killing readers and readers are hunting me down to kill me. Fanfiction carnage.

Juliana Black Lichtler: ...I designate you as Edward's personal physician.

otakgirlyy: You are not the only reader to threaten me with a plushie today, if you can believe it.

singerklainer333: I'm causing pain to people who aren't even reading this thing?! Oh dang! It's contagious! Don't let it spread!

Queen of Narnia49: Haha, still trying to sniff out plot twists? *secretly honored*

'Guest': Too late.

mixmax300: You show me a roach and I might not be able to write for a while. You never know with me when it comes to them.

long live marshmallows: Don't try to predict ;P

MYcookies: Dang. Now I'm earning readers' forgiveness? I'm in deep.

SilverLit: I'm excited about the fanart! Just draw Ed alive in the background of every picture :P

Polarized Penmanship: Oh no! Poor Maes doesn't have a clue who his real parents are :S

Firaga Productions: Sorry :( Take some aspirin?

verry-chan: I'm getting a subtle vibe that you don't want Ed to die in this story.


	78. Chapter 78: Hello, Daddy

Author's Note: I realized today that Roy's parenting style is a lot like my dad's. I used to tell guys he was a retired cage-fighter.

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Chapter 78: Hello, Daddy.

I felt Maes slowly pull his hand out from under mine and take it away from my pulse. Like he was dropping a freaking weapon at gunpoint. He'd had his palm pressed barely below my shoulder, but to my dad's eyes, Maes had been doing the equivalent of touching my chest. Very technically speaking, but this was my dad.

"Get the hell away from her!" Dad said pretty darn seething. Dear God! He had his glove on. And even more disturbing, he was dressed like a tourist.

"Keep it down, Roy," Mom said cautiously, coming through the door with her gun holstered next to an embarrassingly bulging tourist's belt-pack, probably stuffed full of extra rounds. "We barely made it through as it is. Don't want to get noticed because you can't stop raising your voice."

"I found her," Dad replied coldly, eyes fixed on Maes with his hand aimed to snap.

I felt my face getting warm and rosy. "Chill, Dad. He was just feeling my pulse."

"With his mouth?" Oh. Right. The kiss. Now my face was really hot.

Mom ignored Dad's tirade, something she'd learned to do before they were even married, apparently. Her eyes glistened when she saw me. "Nina!" She stepped past my dad on over to me, not even looking twice as she crossed his line of fire. She didn't really acknowledge Maes either. Just leaned down and hugged me all cuddly and kissed my head twice. "Sweetheart, we've missed you so much. When we heard from Winry you'd crossed the border into Xing…" Her voice got a little weak. She squeezed the daylights out of me. "I thought we might've lost you." She kissed my cheek. I let her. I really had had no idea Aunt Winry had freaked them out like that. Just what had she said? Better question was since when did mom and Aunt Winry talk?

I reached up and wrapped my arms around my mother nearly out of duty, but I really kind of enjoyed it in spite of myself. Moms were safe. "I missed you too, Mom."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I heard Dad say. Not toward me, though. He was talking to someone in closer proximity to him. I looked up. Maes was stepping toward him. Dad practically snarled. Ugh. Not good. "She's not like you. She's the daughter of a foreign leader. She can't just cross borders for a spontaneous vacation. You could've gotten her killed!"

Maes didn't seem to hear him. He kept stepping forward until he was way past my dad's line of personal space. It was kind of weird how Maes was so noticeably taller than my dad when he stood close and got in his face. Didn't seem right.

Dad had to make an effort to supress himself from raising his voice again. I could tell. "Back off, kid," he said low and cold.

"How did you get here?" Maes asked. Expression nearly blank. Just a hint of curiosity.

"What?"

Maes smiled a little. I knew that smile. That was the 'regaining hope' smile. "You can get us home."

Dad was looking useless. I turned to mom, held her arm pretty darn urgent. "We need to get to Resembool."

Mom knit her brow. "Resembool?" She sounded more offended than confused. "Nina, you've been gone two months without a word. We're here to take you home. As soon as the Desert Rail opens back up…"

Oh. Damn.

"What about throwing Dad's weight around? He's the freaking Fuhrer!" I said. "Please, we need to get out sooner. We can't wait."

"Well, you're going to have to," said Dad. "This is a private mission. I left Amestris under the care of General Armstrong while your mother and I search for you. No one in Amestris even knows I'm here and I'd like to keep it that way. If it got out to the public that Xing swallowed my daughter, there could be some pretty nasty press."

Nasty press? That was what he was worried about? Seriously?

Maes laughed. It was a burst from a quiet space. My dad looked like he'd forgotten Maes had been part of our conversation. Maes looked like he didn't consider himself part of anything. He smiled smug, almost vicious. "You bastard. You left your uniform and title at home just to come get your daughter and now you're barred out of your country thinking it's temporary. Congratulations, Uncle Roy. You're the biggest idiot to ever rule Amestris."

Whoa. Should I applaud?

Dad looked like he'd been waiting for an excuse to draw the line and he'd just gotten one. "Say what you want, kid, but this vacation is over. The moment Xing Station picks back up, we'll be taking Nina home on the first train."

"You weren't listening," said Maes. "There isn't going to be a next train. The Desert Rail has been shut down because of widespread terrorist attacks across the country. Xing is under crisis. There is no way in or out."

Mom and Dad both looked surprised. I took it they hadn't been here for very long to not have figured out what was really going on. I mean, they were usually pretty dang sharp when it came to this kind of junk. They'd probably come in on one of the last trains.

Mom shook her head stubbornly. "They announced the public transit was closing for its annual maintenance."

"Just trying to keep the public from panicking," I said. "Lan Fan says there've been threats all over the Capital since last night."

Dad was focused on Maes. "You brought my daughter into a foreign country under terrorist threat?"

Maes stared dully at him. "Can we get angry at each other some other time? Now's not good for me."

I came forward. "Dad, call home. We need to get back right now."

Dad wasn't listening. He spoke icy to Maes. "Do you have any idea the kind of danger you've put her in?"

Oh, Dad, just shut it.

Maes shrugged matter-of-factly. "Well, no one's hit her across the face yet, if that's what you're asking. Of course, now that you're here…"

I felt myself bristle. This was not the time. I wasn't sure Maes could hold back right now if Dad provoked him into fighting below the belt.

"Dad, let's stop," I said firmly.

He didn't give any response. There had been stinging truth to Maes's jab. Last time Dad and I had been in person together had been the day he'd slapped me. He looked at Maes darkly. "I may not be perfect, but I am her father. She was mine before she was yours and I'll be damned if I make the mistake of leaving her in your protection again." He put his hand on my shoulder. "Let's go, Nina."

I shrugged him off. This was ridiculous. "Go where? You took a vacation from being Fuhrer just to find me. You think _I'm_ in danger here? You're the leader of Xing's greatest ally country. You show your face out there, you let anyone know it's you, the Yao Supremists will hunt you down and use us all for political leverage. Do you get the weight of this situation? Getting protective over your little girl is pretty much the most trivial thing you could be doing right now."

The room paused. Dad looked at me like I'd just said my first words. Not really used to me throwing tantrums. "What do you suggest I do?" He said it like he was actually asking.

I pointed to the phone. "Call General Armstrong. Tell her to get us the hell out of here, send us a special team or something. Now!"

Mom touched my arm. "Nina, there's no need for us to rush into things. We're safe here under the Emperor's protection. Let's just take some time to think this through."

"We're already out of time!" I said. "Make the damn call!"

Dad sighed harsh. It was that angry breathing he had on the rare occasion that he lost. He turned and walked to the phone, whispering to my mother as he brushed shoulders with her. I think Maes was supposed to hear, because he did. "This is what happens when Fullmetal tries to play 'dad.'"

Maes's muscles tensed all at once, his hands clenching into fists right at his sides. His eyes glazed over and his mouth smiled a little too natural. "You're right," he said softly. "I'm his biggest mistake. Good call."

My breath caught in my throat.

For a moment it seemed like Maes's smile might last, that he might go on, but then his entire body quaked hard and a heaving sob came up out of him. Tears spilled down his face like the dam to his ducts had been broken and he ground his teeth together to keep from making noise. It didn't work. His crying was completely audible this time, louder and more desperate than I'd thought the stoic guy was capable of. But then, what did he have to lose at this point?

"I'm worse than the taboo," said Maes, crying frantic tears. "I'm worse than becoming a State Alchemist. I'm worse than Shou Tucker turning his daughter into a chimera. I'm worse than the Philosopher's Stone. I'm worse than Uncle Al losing his body for five years. I'm worse than what happened to Lior…"

My parents watched in a mild state of horror as I tried to shake Maes out of listing his dad's regrets. "No, Maes. No. Settle down. No one thinks that."

He shook his head, whimpering, "That's what makes it so horrible. It's me. It's my fault. If I had just let myself die…"

I ignored my mom and dad pricking up, their damned sudden interest in the whole deal at Maes mentioning death. This was stupid and shameful. It was all I could take. I should've held onto Maes and just tried to comfort him and junk, but seriously, I didn't have anything left to lose at this point either. I let go of Maes's arm and went straight for my dad in a pretty much lurch. My arm reeled back and I threw my hand straight across his face, smacking so hard the sting on my palm from the contact made me cringe.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I said, talking loud with my chest pounding like a jackhammer. "You can't see past your own freaking nose! You've been so wrapped up in protecting me all my life that you won't stop to notice when other people need protecting. One of your best friends has been slowly dying for the past six years and you never knew it because you've been too busy protecting me from his son."

Dad held his hand on his face, a red, bruising mark forming fast where I'd hit him. He stared at me with his eyes wide. I couldn't tell if he was more horrified over me hitting him or because I'd totally just spilled the news. Good for Dad; it turned out to be the latter. The blood had drained from his face. "Fullmetal?"

Mom was standing with Maes, rubbing his back trying to calm down the hysterics while I was busy blowing up at Dad. At my dad saying, 'Fullmetal,' she put her arms around Maes like a mom-instinct. Maes whimpered into his hand, eyes gone like she wasn't even there.

Mom's expression crumpled all distressed. "Not Ed."

Dad's eyes darted to Maes. He shook his head. "No. No, that's not possible."

I folded my arms up. "Call General Armstrong. If nothing else, we can at least try to get Maes home in time to say goodbye."

Maes lifted his head and spoke weakly. "It's over, Nina." He breathed like he wasn't quite finished crying, his eyes setting on me grateful, but defeated. "I already said goodbye."

"But…I didn't get to." I sucked my lip. "Maes…?"

"Thanks for trying, Nina."

I had screwed this up so much it hurt.

Dad spoke pretty frustrated. "But, he's not dead yet."

I glared up at him. "Yeah, well, he will be by the time we get back into Amestris."

Maes walked out from my mom's embrace like he hadn't noticed she was standing there. He came over to me like a freaking ghost, pale and dead. He stood directly between me and my dad. Maybe in his mind we were alone. He took my hand all gentle and just held it. "Let's get going. I think Aunt Mei probably needs us right now. She did just find out there's a steady chance Uncle Al won't get back into Xing in time for cousin number four's arrival, after all."

"Al has four kids?" Dad said all distracted.

Maes didn't look at him. "Almost."

"How did I not know that?" asked Dad. "Why don't I know anything? Why didn't I know what was happening to Fullmetal?"

Maes turned to me abruptly. "I think I'm about to blame your dad for things he didn't know he was doing."

I looked at Dad's panicked, tormented eyes as he kept on puzzling through the bad news, kept touching his bruised up cheek where I'd landed the smack. I wasn't so sure how much scolding my dad could take in one day. "You really want to lose it again?"

Maes looked at Dad with me. "I might overdo it."

"Then don't."

Maes nodded silently.

"We have to go," I said, looking at my parents. "Stay with the Emperor. I'll be back later."

Mom reached out for me. "Nina, no."

"Nina…" Dad looked thoroughly hurt.

"It's okay, Nina," Maes said. "Stick with your parents."

"What?"

"You haven't seen them in two months and I know you've really missed them." Maes smiled. "I'll be fatherless the rest of my life, so there'll be plenty of time to comfort me later. Just…enjoy your dad while he's here. I'll call you when I get to Aunt Mei's. Maybe I'll try to come back for you tomorrow."

"Maes…" But he was adamant. Somehow our conflict with my dad had turned into me apparently taking my parents for granted. I couldn't argue with Maes about that. To get in his face right now about butting into my family's issues would just be wrong. So…Maes left.

"Nina," said Mom, pulling me into her arms, "what's going on?"

I pulled away, looked at her and Dad, pressed my hands on my hips. "This sucks. I wasn't supposed to tell you the whole story until I'd made a happy ending out of it. I was supposed to be happy to see you."

"You're not happy to see us?" said Dad, straightening with his hand returning to his red cheek.

"Maybe if you'd come a little sooner," I said. "Then Maes would've been with his dad by now. Instead, you bust into his room and make him cry. Jeez, Dad! He just got off the phone from telling Uncle Ed goodbye. You have issues, you know that? It's one thing to worry about me. I like that you care. But I am freaking sick of you doing it at other people's expenses. I'm a lot less pathetic than you realize, got me?"

"We don't think you're pathetic," said Mom.

"I had no idea Fullmetal was sick," Dad said with pleading in his voice. "It's not like I turned my back on him knowing he was in trouble."

"I know," I said. "I heard the real story, Dad. You divorced the Elrics because you saw how powerful Maes's alchemy was when he was only two and you were scared he'd bring out the alchemy in me. Uncle Ed wouldn't agree to keep Maes from doing that. He encouraged it. He thought it was dangerous for you to keep the truth from me. You guys couldn't compromise, so you split. It was for the sake of your kids. I got that. But there's a big honking chunk of that story that you and Mom didn't stick around long enough to hear."

My parents were kind of speechless from hearing me tell it out so easy, a part of their past they'd always made a point not to talk to me about. Dad knit his brow. "So, this part we didn't hear before we left…Was Fullmetal dying even back then?"

I sucked my lip. I sucked it hard. "No. Maes was."

* * *

REPLIES!

It's A Beautiful Tragedy: I need Maes's fangirls on hand to talk Roy down at a moment's notice. Or throw buckets of water at him.

verry-chan: Aw! You're actually preparing yourself? D':

Illovebooks: Haha, blunt, but true. Poor Maes.

pitstop96: I love that you forgot to log in because you were "freaking out" :D

Red-Hot Habanero: Unfortunately, it would be in character for Maes to get himself burned to go along with the rest of his angst.

SavFFLover: 'Oh my freaking fudgeecaking gosh!" -You need to make greeting cards of something. Haha, I'm digging the 'official friendly girl-to-girl role model kind of love' thing we've got going here :P Got me chuckling.

DanniMaeAnime92: I've 'owned' a stray cat for the past couple years. Her name's Jeffery-the-girl-cat. Long story.

mixmax300: 13 yr old meeting One Direction! Ha! That's great stuff. Save the line for a story.

KTrevo: Ha! Yep, cuz every good Fuhrer owns a teleportation device for times like these.

Cheshire of a smile: Thanks! I guess I did mean to make you guys laugh :P With Roy playing dad, it's easy to do.

Anonymousgal: Yep. My sentiments exactly.

AuthorChick96: "Flame Legacy: causing heart arrhythmias across the globe since 2013."

Queen of Narnia49: Heh, yeah. I think I mentioned in an author's note a while back. I usually look up spellings before I write out names, but there are a lot of bad sources and I usually don't take the time to find the right version if I get the wrong spelling. I just go with which one I remember. I know Celime is actually Selim. Just can't be bothered to change it. People can figure it out :P Thanks for the catch, though.

long live marshmallows: I've said this before, but I'm a big believer in happy endings in some form :)

bakacoconut69: Haha, 'tearjerker.' Loving the label.

AvengerKitty: You know, a lot of people felt the same way in the reviews...

kilamija: Aw, don't feel guilty. It's not like you owe me reviews. I'm happy to write and I'm happy to get the reviews you leave when you get the chance :)

TheKingOfOkay: The fury of a protective father is actually pretty darn sweet. And scary if you're on the wrong end.

Hawkstang: Haha! If I'm not on the run from readers' threats, Maes is on the run from Roy and his flames. Tragic.

MYcookies: Heh, well, if I'm already in deep, may as well toy with emotions while I'm at it.

otakgirlyy: Yep, no Sir-Edward-rescue-kiss for King Mustang this time.

Awsome anon: And then the next could be, 'Oh, dear God, get the super-soakers!"

xXEmiShaeXx: ...I have this weird feeling that Maes would get excited being compared to crispy bacon :P

Juliana Black Lichtler: Roy Mustang -useless when wet and useless in Xing. Sad truth.


	79. Chapter 79: Not What I Was Going For

Author's Note: Okay...

1.) **Bad** news- I'm going to my grandparents. The other ones who believe internet is of the devil. I may have a few days (ish) of **not posting** chapters.

2.) **Good** news- I'm giving you a LONG chapter for this post to tide you over, plus I'll be writing daily while I'm gone, so I'll do a bunch of **make-up posts** as soon as I get back. ALSO...

3.) I'm finally ready to announce the **secret project** I've been working on, because I think I might actually pull it off. I'm doing a **trailer for 'Flame Legacy**.' It started off as something I was just playing around with for fun, and then I started putting it together and I figured I could do something with it. So, while I'm gone, I'll have time to work on that. I'll put up a link to its youtube when it's ready. I'll let you know.

(If anyone wants to send me fanart or whatever so I can put it in the trailer, just let me know. I can use the help.)

Okay, that's it. Enjoy :D

* * *

Chapter 79: Not What I Was Going For

Mom scooted closer on Maes's unmade bed to reach across me and take my dad's hand. The Palace had gotten so freaking spastic outside that no one seemed to have really noticed the three of us were still shut up in Maes's room. We wanted to keep it that way for now. Not even Ling or Lan Fan knew the Fuhrer had gotten in unidentified.

"Well," I said, "that's it. That's what the Elrics have been up to all this time."

Dad wasn't exactly shaking, but he was so close to it he almost seemed fragile. He had his eyes down like an abused dog. He'd been like this for a while. I'd stopped being mad at him pretty much five minutes into the story. See, I'd kind of understood that, as much as I loved my Uncle Ed, Dad's relationship with him had been deeper than mine in a major way. This was hurting him way more than me, I realized.

I wondered if this was how my father had looked when he'd found out his buddy Hughes had been killed.

"I'm sorry," I said, scooting closer at his other side. "Way sorry, Daddy."

"I never would've guessed Maes was so sick," Mom said real soft. "We thought he was just tired. Winry never said a thing."

"Neither did Edward," said Dad. He'd stopped calling Uncle Ed 'Fullmetal' after I'd explained Uncle Ed's reason for dying was an old wound he'd gotten as a State Alchemist.

I took Dad's other hand kind of sheepish. "From what they tell me, Maes's symptoms didn't really start showing up until he went through a nasty case of pneumonia right after he turned two. Maes says you two paid your visit just a couple weeks after the docs gave Uncle Ed and Aunt Winry the news and they were still having trouble talking about it."

Dad smiled absolutely bitter at himself. "That's perfect. They'd just found out their son would be lucky to make it into adulthood and then I came over and got angry over Edward's parenting methods."

"We both did," said Mom. "I could have shut you up at any time, Roy, but I thought we were in the right."

"Doesn't matter," I said. "It was all just bad timing. Seriously, Uncle Ed probably wouldn't have wanted you to know how sick he was even if you two had stayed buds all this time. I mean, he and Ling are still pretty dang good friends, but Ling didn't know Uncle Ed was sick until a month ago when I told him. I think Uncle Ed's the kind of person who doesn't like people getting all worked up and worried over him, you get me?"

Mom smiled warm. "That's right. That's just how Ed's always been."

Dad hunched. "So, he was just going to die without saying anything? Let me find out in seven years that he's been dead and I never even knew he was sick?" Dad surprised me and smiled a little bit. "I suppose that does sound like something Edward would do."

I'd mostly just repeated to them what Sophie had told me about Uncle Ed sacrificing himself for Maes and all that junk. I'd even spilled about Maes's automail. I'd also told them a little about how saving Uncle Ed with my knowledge of the Truth was my whole point in going with Maes, but I'd left out all the parts about what exactly my knowledge of the Truth was. As far as they knew, my abilities didn't go much further than healing my burns with Dad's pre-drawn circle. They probably figured Maes was the mastermind and I just got him his coffee and made calls for him.

"Do you remember the Elrics' number?" Dad said, turning to Mom.

"It's been a while," Mom replied, kind of stating the obvious just a bit.

"I know it," I said. "You're talking Ed Elric, right? Or Uncle Al? Because I memorized that one, too."

Mom chuckled. "It's funny our daughter knows those numbers when we don't."

"Edward," said Dad. "I want to…I need to talk to him. I owe him an apology."

I stood. "Want me to dial it?"

"Yes, thank you, Nina."

I led him to Maes's phone across the room and picked up the receiver to make the call. As I dialled, I looked up at Dad and mentioned, "He might be too sick to talk. Maes had to hang up because it was sounding like Uncle Ed was going to puke again."

Dad suddenly looked all cold-footed. "I don't want to disturb him…"

"I doubt he'll give a darn. I think he's kind of missed getting mad at you. If his temper kills him, he'll die happy."

My parents looked at me like I was a terrible heartless kind of person and they kind of wished they'd raised me better. I pressed the receiver to my ear kind of awkward and listened for the phone to start doing the dial tone thing. Any time now.

No sound.

I hung the phone up and tried again, this time paying attention that I dialled right. I listened and waited for a tone or a click or static or anything.

No sound.

I hung up. "I think the phone's broken or something. Let's try my room."

Dad looked sick. "This isn't your room?"

Mom looked at the phone. "It was just working, though, right? Maes made a call not even two hours ago."

I couldn't figure out more or less what to say that wouldn't imply the phones might be down now. "Let's just…can we just try?"

Oh, dang. Phones down was not a good sign. I mean, phones down around the neighbourhood was scary during a crisis, but in the freaking Emperor's Palace? Completely unsettling. The voices in the hall going by back and forth had gotten louder and completely more numerous since Maes had left. Freaked me out to no end that he was out in the city with no backup or anything.

"Let's just try," Dad said to Mom, probably more for my sake than his.

Mom looked sad and a little nervous as she nodded. The hand dangling nearest to her gun was twitching in the index finger just a little, warming up to pull a trigger without her realizing she was doing it. Coolest thing ever to have a mom who could handle a gun, but flipping scary when it looked like she was sensing she might have to use it.

She walked out into the bustling hall first, being her protective self with me and Dad like always. Sometimes I wondered if Dad had learned to keep me excessively safe from how Mom apparently used to spend all her time keeping him safe. The walk to my room was only a couple doors over, but we were more or less walking against the currents on that side of the hall. Not exactly comfortable with a stampede of Xing officials and Palace staff hurrying around to their own destinations left and right around us. We just about made it to my door. Just about. Then Mom spotted her. Damn. I should've seen this one coming.

"Lan Fan?" Mom stopped in her tracks. "Roy, hold on. Look down the hall. To your right. Do you see her?"

Dad stopped next to Mom and looked where she was looking. His eyes widened. "I'll be damned." Then his brow got wrinkled. "Wait, no, that's got to be a double or something. That kid can't be past her teens."

Mom nodded kind of disappointed. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Lan Fan definitely didn't have both of her arms last time we saw her. Just a look-alike."

Oh, thank God. I really hadn't exactly explained the whole me with the life-force deal to them yet. Plus, most of the people currently in the Palace, according to Ling, hadn't really seen much in the ways of Lan Fan when she was younger, at least, not her face. They'd probably see resemblance between young Lan Fan and older Lan Fan, but not as if they'd ever really memorized young Lan Fan's face. Mom and Dad, however, were an exception on that front and could totally blow her cover if they figured it out.

I urged them on down the hall to my room, but Mom stalled. Her eyes got excited. "What do you bet it's Lan Fan's daughter?"

Dad snorted. "That high-strung kid we met back in Central twenty years ago? Wow, I never saw her having a family. Too loyal to her boss to branch off."

Mom did not look half amused. She frowned at my dad like he was so sleeping on the couch. "I seemed to manage."

Dad caught himself and stopped looking hilarified real quick. "And I'm exponentially lucky you did, dear."

I smiled. Couldn't help it. I'd missed this.

"Let's go talk to her," said Mom. "Maybe Lan Fan's around."

Dad turned to me and explained, "Lan Fan was an old friend of ours from before you were born. We haven't gotten to see her in person in years."

"Ah," I said a little squeaky. "I see."

Oh. Flipping. Damn.

My heart rattled like an empty can. How the heck was I supposed to stop and explain things now in the hall of all places? I mean, first I'd have to figure out a way to leave my alchemy and Philosopher's Stone life-force out of it. I'd probably have to find a way to get across to them that it wasn't Lan Fan's daughter without telling them it was Lan Fan at all. And now my parents were starting to look like they'd make their way over.

I grabbed my Dad's hand. "We should get out of the hall before someone recognizes you."

Dad looked back at me. "I think we're fine as long as we stay inside the Palace." He kept holding my hand, though.

"Yeah, sweetheart," said Mom. "Lan Fan and I go way back. I held her down for the surgery after she lost her arm."

Yep, and I held her down for the transmutation where she grew it back. Closure, much? "Um, yeah, but that girl…" Whoa, she looked like she might be on her way down the hall! Time to stall. "That girl isn't even Lan Fan's daughter. At all."

Mom knit up her brow. "She isn't? You know her?"

"Uh…" Keep stalling, Nina. Just play the dumbest of the dumb. "Yep, I know her. I know her pretty darn well and she is completely not Lan Fan's daughter. Promise."

"Then you know who Lan Fan is?" Dad assumed. Damn assumptions. Damn correct assumptions.

Lan Fan was turning to a guy and nodding. She kept walking, walking quick toward the dude and following further down the hall away from us. "Yes, I know Lan Fan—know _about_ her. I know about her. She and Uncle Ling are best friends, right? So, I know tons about Lan Fan and that kid was not her kid. Okay?"

"You call the Emperor of Xing…Uncle?" Dad twitched. "Isn't he fifteen years old?"

Mom laughed. "Well, maybe Uncle Ling will quit putting you on hold long distance now that our daughter's his honorary niece, Roy."

Dad shuddered a little, squeezing my hand for comfort. "Somehow I find that incredibly unsettling to think about." He smiled at me. "You really have been busy, haven't you? I'm starting to wonder what you've been doing all this time, Nina."

I shrugged. "Oh, this and that." Whew! Lan Fan was out of sight and temporarily out of their minds. Time to make our escape from the hallway. "Hey, let's go to my room. We're blocking traffic." I'd just about given up on the phone lines at this point. There were Palace staff stopping by the two phones scattered down the hallway and they hung them up before they'd even dialled almost every time. The lines were definitely down.

Dad looked at the crowded hall getting steadily more crowded and got this kind of wary look on his face that I did not like. "Maybe it's time for me to pay the Emperor my respects. I'm starting to get the idea that I picked a bad day to come here without telling him."

Yeah, maybe just a little. "Let it rest for now, Dad," I said. "Ling had a rough night. I'll bet he's plenty flustered right now without the Fuhrer surprising him. Just lie low another hour or something, make sense?"

"I see your point," said Dad, still looking around the crowd, "but something tells me things aren't going to settle down by next hour. I'd like to know a little more about what's going on here."

Mom nodded in agreement. "I sense it, too. Something's not right. The air feels dangerous."

Dang Hawk-senses. Mom was freaking me out. I looked around the crowd with Dad. He was right. Everyone was rushing more and looking more urgent and troubled. What the hell was going on? The trains had closed and now the phones were cut. Bad signs in my book. Had the Yao Supremists done some more damage since I'd last heard about it, something big and bad?

I paused. A little down the hall, I could see a guy, a guy I kind of recognized. He'd been one of the guards who'd let us through the door to Ling and Lan Fan last night, the guard who'd told me and Maes the room was sound-proofed. Yeah, I definitely recognized that stone face with the frown lines and condescending bushy eyebrows. He looked up from a conversation and happened to meet my eyes. A flash of recognition passed over his face. He remembered me too.

"Hey," I said to my parents. "I know that guard-guy. He's tight with Ling's security detail. Seriously, he's got some major clearances. I figure he can get us in to see the Emperor if I ask him. Then Dad doesn't have to pull the 'Fuhrer of Amestris' card and we can see the Emperor undetected still. Sound good?"

Dad ran his hand down his face. "My daughter has connections."

"Well, he certainly seems to have noticed you, Nina," said Mom. "Wave him over."

Kind of self-absorbed having him come to me, but whatever. I waved and he actually came really fast, not even hesitating. He kind of smiled when he made it over like he was trying to be friendly. Impressive for a guy who was so clearly unpleasant ninety percent of the time.

"Miss Nina," he said, bowing chin to chest. "I am glad to see that you are alright."

"Sure," I said. "That makes two of us. I need to get to the Emperor." I gestured to my parents. "They do, too. Think you can hook us up?"

He looked at me blank for a moment in that way people had been looking at me a lot lately, the, 'This isn't my first language, lady, and you're talking in all slang,' look. But he blinked himself out of it before I could try to rephrase and he nodded in another bow. "Of course. The Emperor ordered that you be given audience at any time should you request it. I am certain that would include any friends you might bring. Follow me, please."

I smirked a little at my dad. The Emperor had given an order to let me through at any time since I'd been here while he put my dad on hold on a regular basis back home. Oh, yeah. How's that for Daddy's baby girl? Dad caught my smug look and turned away to sulk. Honestly, now that I'd gotten to know Ling some, I half wondered if he'd been brushing off my dad's calls from Central just to mess with my dad. If Ling really was that good of a pal of Uncle Ed's, it really would not have surprised me if he enjoyed tweaking my father for the hell of it. My dad made himself easy to tweak if you knew what angle to come at him from, and apparently Ling had known my father for a long, long time. The thought of it made me crack a grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Mom asked, putting her hand gently behind my back as we rounded a corner into a less busy hall, guiding me.

"Nothing," I said. I looked at my pouty father and chuckled. "I'm just…not how you remember me. Not even close at all."

The guard-guy led us around another twist in the hallway and I realized I'd gone down this way before. Me and Maes both, last night on our way to the sound-proofed room at the far wing of the labyrinth-of-a-Palace. Smart. I should've figured Ling would be camped out there. The place was so hard to get to I half wondered how many people even knew it was there.

Last night the corridors on the way to the room had been blocked by a pair of guards at the end of every other winding hall. Now the guards were all out and about flipping over the whole terrorist-attacks thing, so we just glided on through. I guessed that made sense. Ling was immortal. He'd probably do better without a trail of guards leading straight to his hideout in time of crisis. Anyway, we got through faster this time at least.

"I don't like this," Mom said quietly. "Do we even know where we're going? It's been ten minutes."

"Chill," I said. "I've been this way before with Maes. It leads to a secret sound-proofed room. Wouldn't be nearly as secret if it was simple to get to."

Mom's hand twitched beside her holster all anxious. "I still don't like it."

To be honest, I was starting not to like it myself. We'd gotten so far that I couldn't hear anyone but us walking through the empty air. The guard guy kept walking all professional and silent, hands folded tidily behind his back like he didn't even care his country was being uprooted within the course of a day with no sign of stopping. Big contrast to how he'd been last night when he'd let me in to see Lan Fan.

We got to the door, finally, and the guard guy gave us another friendly bow. He opened the door without even unlocking it. "You will find the Emperor through this door." He motioned us in with a swish of his hand. So freaking calm. I led the way on in for my parents, hanging back just a little. A part of me banged under my skull, pulsed through my veins, warning me to make sure Ling was inside before I budged past the doorway. The guard put a gentle hand on my shoulder and guided me in. "This way."

"Wait…" I said, faltering in my steps. "This isn't…this is wrong!"

The room was how we'd left it; bare space, bloody rags on the ground, rumpled bloody sheets on the bed. Empty. Completely empty. No Ling. No anybody.

I felt my mom's svelte build bash into my back and throw me forward onto my hands and knees. I heard my dad's voice bursting into an angry curse, but then there was the blunt sound of something hard hitting something else hard and my dad's voice turned off abruptly. My mom let out the most frightened whimpering sound I'd even heard come out of her. The door slammed. I turned just in time to get a steady view of my daddy falling forward and thumping facedown on the floor with blood trickling from under his black hair to the back of his pale neck. The door locked from the outside with a click. My mouth quivered, 'No.'

Mom crouched over him, rolling him over carefully in her arms. "Roy? Roy, open your eyes."

I found myself shaking his shoulder like the idiot I very apparently was. "Daddy, wake up! We're so completely screwed. You have to rescue us, dammit!"

Mom had her fingers pressed next to his throat, timing his pulse. His chest was still breathing steady, which was good, but he was still out cold. Dang it! Why were we here?

"He recognized him," I said. "That guard totally figured out it was Dad and now he's got the Fuhrer and his family locked up. I'll bet he's one of those Supremist creeps under cover or something. Oh, God! Mom, we're so screwed. I mean, you don't even know."

"I do know," she said with a weak smile that I guessed was meant to be encouraging. "Calm down, sweetie. Let's think this through. We can figure this out."

"No," I said, not even having to think about it. "See, when I blew up at Dad earlier for showing up in the middle of a crisis, I wasn't even exaggerating. Ling thinks I left the Palace with Maes to go to visit Aunt Mei. No one even knows you and Dad are here in Xing to begin with. Maes doesn't plan on coming back for me until tomorrow at the earliest and he can't use the phones to check in during the interim. Do you understand, Mom? No one knows we're here, and when they finally notice we're missing, no one will have a clue what happened to us. We laid too low. We are screwed. Very, very much screwed."

"Stop talking," said Mom sharply. She closed her eyes, hugging Dad to her just a little. "It's not helping." Oh, my God. She didn't have any answers either. She agreed with me. She thought we were screwed.

My heart got shaky in my chest. "Mom…?"

She looked at Dad's sleeping face and shook her head. "That man was smart. We've lost our only alchemist."

Oh! Right! I stood. "Mom, you got anything I can draw a circle with?"

She stared at me like I'd just asked her for a colouring book. "…circle?"

I huffed. "A transmutation circle. I'm going to fix the back of Dad's head."

Mom gave me this, 'it's the thought that counts,' kind of smile. "Thanks, sweetie, but this is a little worse than a few burns on your fingers."

"Yeah, no joke. Give me a pen or I'm drawing in blood."

"Nina!" It was a scold. She thought I was being a smartass. I kind of was.

I crouched next to dad and smudged my finger down the back of his bloody neck, ignoring Mom's annoying gasp of horror. Jeez. I would've liked to hear her response if she'd seen the dream where I drank children's blood off of grass. I smeared a quick circle onto my palm, my favourite generic version of medicinal alchehestry I liked to call the 'cure-all.' I'd made the thing up a while back as a short cut to drawing all the different healing circles involved in different kinds of injury. Came in handy if you ever needed to heal a scraped knee on one leg and a broken knee on the other and didn't want to take the time to draw different calibres of circles for each. Mom watched like I wasn't her daughter.

"Hey," I said, nudging her arms away from blocking Dad's head. "Hands off."

She scooted herself kind of cautious, not so sure about what had become of her daughter in the past two months. I held my dad's head in my kneeling lap and turned it to the side so he was facing the door and I had access to the back of his head. I took a breath, kind of twistedly excited at the prospect of using alchemy on my own Dad. And in front of my mom. That was cool, too. I clapped my hands together, printing the wet blood circle from my left hand onto my right to mirror it. Red currents buzzed between my fingers. I pressed my marked palms gently to the back of my father's head, feeling the damp warmth cool slightly as the split skin of his scalp sealed itself. I took care to make it perfect, even to eliminate chances of pain that could be prevented. I wanted my father to be impressed.

I took my hands away and turned to Mom. "Ha."

Her voice was faint from shock as she muttered out, "Nina Mustang…?" I was kind of scared she might be asking if it was really me. She came back close to my dad just in time to hear him groan. I went ahead and let her pull him into her arms all suspenseful. His eyes opened real sluggish and he swallowed kind of in that gross, just woken up way. But I did a little victory cheer anyway and Mom looked like she'd cry from relief. I guessed before I knew alchehestry I probably would've thought that dad's wound had been serious, too. To Mom I was probably way underreacting. I suddenly felt kind of shallow. I petted her arm and she smiled at me like she was proud of me.

"Hawkeye?" Dad said kind of scratchy and dazed. Wow. He was completely out of it. He usually only called Mom by her maiden name when they were having 'mommy-daddy time,' as my mother liked to call it. Yep. Mom was flushing.

"Hi, Roy," she said. "We're right here. Me and Nina." She emphasized the 'Nina' part like she was reminding him who I was.

I looked over at the door, the walls, and wondered how guarded the room was. I wondered if the dang traitor and whoever else would be prepared if I transmuted us a way out.

I felt Dad's hand go on mine. He'd shifted his eyes to me kind of disoriented. I gave him a finger wave. He smiled all happy to see me. "That's right," he said. "Hi, Nina." He looked around the room confused at first, lifting his head a little despite his dizziness to get a better view. "What's going on?"

"Well…" Mom began.

"I kind of messed up," I said. "Completely trusted the wrong guard."

Dad furrowed his brow. I started rehearsing in my head how to rephrase that to make sense to him. In the meantime, Dad looked to Mom for an answer. Mom paused a little herself. It didn't matter, though. Neither of us got a chance to tell my dad we were being held captive. The door's lock clicked and its knob turned. It swung slowly open and a lanky guy with a sword at his hip stepped in in front of a handful of not so lanky, buff warrior-looking guys. Oh, damn. I instinctively stood protective-style between the sword-guy and my parents. Not that it could do much good for long. I wondered if I stayed blocking the scary fighters off, maybe my dad could transmute us an exit out the back wall. How was I supposed to signal for him to do that?

"Nina!" Dad hissed behind me, worried to hell.

"What do you want from us?" I asked. I was pleased with myself. I sounded pretty darn brave.

Lanky sword-guy smile with yellowed teeth. Ugh, I'd bet his breath smelled nasty. "Don't be foolish, Nina Mustang," he said kind of raspy like a long-time smoker. "The only one we wanted was you."

I tried very quite hard not to look like I was surprised by that fact. "I don't have anything." I really didn't. I couldn't even cook.

"You have what we've been searching for over the past twenty years," he said. Oh, he was just aching to spit it out. He grinned. "Immortality."

I wrinkled my nose. "What?" This was making me terribly uneasy.

"Nina doesn't know a thing about any of that!" Dad said. Oh, shut up.

"No one's made a Philosopher's Stone since before she was born," said Mom.

The guy didn't respond to them. Just drew his sword and let it rest at his side. Enough said.

"Stop," I whispered back to my parents. Was this guy talking about my souls? How could he know about that? I paused. Oh. Right. His traitor-buddy had been guarding the room while I'd turned Lan Fan into a homunculus last night. Really not good at all.

The sword-guy and his buff warriors encroached through the door all intimidating. I was really having to put effort into not backing up a step. Sword-guy smiled like he noticed I was nervous. Well, duh. Who wouldn't be?

"I don't know anything," I said like an amateur. Stupid.

"Make me immortal now," he said, "and we will leave you and your friends in peace. The attacks on the city will stop. All will be as it was."

Oh. Dear. God. The attacks…Were they for me? No way. "I don't…" My heart was pounding too fast. I could practically hear every soul in me shouting, 'Oh, hell, Twenty-one! We are so screwed!' I took a breath, keeping cool so my parents wouldn't step in again. "I don't know…"

Before I could stammer the rest out, though, there was this loud cracking crash from behind and the ground shook as debris hit the floor next to the bed. I stared, we all stared, as light poured into the room from outside through a newly transmuted gaping hole in the ceiling. A tall figure in a brand new tacky red coat pounced through the hole, landing crouched on his feet like a cat. Oh, wow. My boyfriend was so fantastically cool. He made that coat look good.

Sword-guy and his reinforcements were way caught off guard. Maes had stood and made it on over to us before they even wised up enough to recognize him as a threat. Maes stepped over my parents with purpose and was able to take my hand, both hands, actually, before sword-guy whipped his blade out toward Maes's throat. "Not a step closer!"

Maes stopped in his tracks and dodged the sword real easy with a tilt of his head. It had honestly been more of a warning strike than a lethal one. He stood there and squeezed my hands really tight. His palms were sweaty. So slick it was kind of gross. He wasn't looking at me, though. He was looking at the sword-guy, just holding my hands like I was some kind of an object or a shield. He was silent, holding the guy's gaze for a while before finally speaking.

"These people have nothing to do with this. Let them go free and I won't put up a fight."

"Maes…" He squeezed my hands so tight I figured he wanted me to shut up. I felt my hands tremble in his as his grip eased up a little.

"You…" said the sword guy all speculative. He smiled like a yellow grin. "You're the other one."

Maes's face was like stone. "This woman is just a companion. She doesn't know anything about this. Let her and the other two go free and you can have me."

Now I was squeezing his hands. He was stalling, right? He was stalling so Lan Fan's special guards could come save us. Sword-guy did not look convinced. Maes's hold on my hands relaxed. I bit hard on my lip as he pulled away. I got a look at those sweaty hands of his as he raised them to the collar of his shirt. Had they always been smeared with blood? I jerked my gaze down to my palms. Holy shoot. He'd smudged my circles off. "Maes!"

He ignored me. He undid the buttons one by one until his body was exposed enough to reveal the automail. He held his shirt wide open for the Supremists to see. I watched their eyes widen as Maes showed off the twisted device that had preserved his life for the past six years. "I know how to rebuild bodies so they won't fail."

The sword-guy eyed Maes up and down, freaking suspicious. He licked his mouth. He grinned. He nodded.

"Go visit my dad, Nina," Maes said with a wink. And he stepped toward the door.

"Maes, no!" I tried to go forward but my Mom had stood and she had her hand gripping my arm.

The sword-guy took Maes by the shoulder and yanked him back. "Interesting. You seem to cooperate very well under pressure." He signalled to the buff guys behind him. "We'll take all three. In case he should need incentive."

Maes's face changed expression to something terrifyingly horrified. He jerked out of sword guy's hold. "That wasn't part of the deal!" It was funny. Sword-guy let Maes go without even whipping his sword at him again. Actually, sword-guy just sort of watched.

Maes seemed to notice the weirdness of things, too. He looked pale and disturbed as he backed up, shielding me and my parents from the oncoming warrior guys. I watched his back heave, looked back as my mom tried to help my still dizzy dad stand up without losing his balance. I readied my fingers to snap. We were almost to the hole in the ceiling, though I really saw no way we were all going to make it out from there. Maes didn't seem to think so, either, because he stopped short.

"Nina," he said quietly to me, "you're not an alchemist. None of you are."

I didn't really know what to make of that. It kind of made me angry. "Like hell—"

The warriors raised up these things that kind of resembled potato-guns. Maes bristled. "Get down." My fingers twitched to snap. The potato-guns cocked with a bunch of reverberating clicks. Maes gave me a quick glance as he raised his hands awkwardly at his sides. "You're not an alchemist, Nina, so get down."

I was ready to flare up at him, but then the potato guns pointed to shoot and Maes was ready. He clapped his hands together hard and slammed his palms onto the debris-scattered floor. The chunks of roof-tiles and junk clustered itself and went up like a wall in front of us. Most of us. The potato guns fired and I was still kind of standing, exposed from my chest on up. I staggered back as like, three dart-things hit me and stuck in my skin. "Dammit, Nina!" I heard Maes yell. I pulled one of those little darts out, but I got numb and heavy before I could pull out the other two. Oops.

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REPLIES!

KTrevo: Gotta say, when I read you were missing a parade for this, I was freaking touched.

mixmax300: Yep, my dad can do some really jerky overprotective stuff, but if you know what it's about, it's really cute.

Juliana Black Lichtler: Yeah, I make it hard on my characters. Looks like you'll have to deal with the suspense a little longer ;P

long live marshmallows: Poor Nina. Half the time she's a badass, the other half she's a dumbass. Always endearing, though.

singerklainer333: I'm starting to worry your friend might end up getting involved in this author witch-hunt everyone's been plotting.

otakgirlyy: I have to say, the Ed plushie-bomb seems like something that would really exist in Fullmetal.

ZipTheArtsyFox: Well, in my first fic, Roy got shot to hell, to anything can happen :D

SavFFLover: I thought about my trashy language and sexual fan-service throughout my fics. I realized I'm kind of terrible role model :O

pitstop96: Have you noticed Roy often doesn't start listening until someone hurts him or insults him? Hm.

author12306: DON'T DO IT, AUTHOR12306! Character-homicide is not the answer! There will be better days!

frizzylizzy98: That's what everyone says on their first post (and on). "Please don't kill Ed!" Or, "You kill Ed and we will hunt you down and transmute your face off." Thank you for being the former :S

xXEmiShaeXx: I ate a double bacon-cheeseburger for breakfast today (I'm underwheight). I thought of Maes with the bacon. I felt kind of sad, like I was eating him. It was such cute bacon.

AvengerKitty: Well, he was actually passed out for a lot of the Nina-independence alchemy and stuff...So he didn't see :(

Hawkstang: Maes just made you some cornbread casserole for calling him a 'cool chap.'

SiilverLit: Wow! The whole thing? (almost) That really must've been a long trip. This is a stretched out fanfic :D

AuthorChick96: Note to self. Buy Mustang protective ski-mask when shopping for means of self defense from angry fangirls.

Polarized Penmanship: Aw! Thanks so much. I feel way accomplished when I get characters right. It's tricky when they aren't originally mine.

MYcookies: Oo. It's kind of hard to get me to cry, so I have a feeling that would really hurt. Little intimidated :P

illovebooks: Don't give Maes ideas. He'll start crying on the fly just to get you to copy him for fun.

x-WritingParadox-x: Thanks about my 'Armstrong merman.' That was actually a suggestion from a reader. I just brought it to life.


	80. Chapter 80: A Better Room

Author's Note: So! I'm back. I **won't be replying to reviews this post** because there were, like, twenty five of them last I checked and I just got home from my grandparents' and it's coming up on midnight for me. PLUS! I have a lot of **catch-up posts** to make, so I figure you probably care more about an overflow of those than my crappy replies. Though, your comments really did have me chuckling. I'll update and catch up with everyone soon! I have a few days' worth of posts to make up for!

**So...time for some rapid posting :D**

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Chapter 80: A Better Room

It rolled around in my head, the image of Maes standing in front of me and swinging his hands to meet in front of him. That signature prayer-like clap that was absolutely completely reserved for those who had committed the taboo. I watched his back in that spanking-new red coat, his bony shoulder-blades visibly flexing inward as he raised his arms at his sides, the swish of the empty air as he sliced his arms through it, and the clean smack at the end as his paddle-like hands had clapped together and held the stance. Dang. He did it better than me.

It had worked. I'd seen it work. The bright currents of a successful transmutation had flickered distinctively from his palms, running through his fingers and enveloping his hands in a surreal red glow. The ground had pulsed when he'd dropped to his knees and slammed his hands down violently on the scattered debris. The rubble had gathered under his touch and erupted into a fast and perfectly uniform mess of a wall. The transmutation had been done without a drawn circle. And it had been perfect.

No matter how many times it played over in my subconscious, no matter how many times I tried again and again to wrap my clouded-up mind around it from a different angle, I could never escape the image, the God-awful image of my Maes performing a transmutation in a way so freakishly twisted that I still had nightmares from what it had taken me to gain the forbidden ability.

"You said you'd never do it!" I screamed.

My eyes opened and I jerked in my mother's arms. The movement jarred me and I ached like the flu. All around me was grey stone; walls, floor, ceiling. One wall was bars. A cell. A prison. There was Dad, here was Mom, where was Maes? Couldn't catch my breath with my ribs aching so bad when I breathed.

"Nina," Mom said sweet but concerned, "you're going to be alright."

"The tranquilizers wear off after a few hours," said Dad. He stroked my bangs away from my forehead. I could barely see him. Was it dim or was I going blind?

"A few hours?" I said. It hurt my stomach muscles to talk. "How long have I been asleep?" Damn! Why hadn't I just gotten down like Maes had told me to?

Dad peeked at his watch. "I woke up about four hours ago and then your mother woke up about an hour after that. My watch says we were asleep for close to nine hours before that."

"You're so small," Mom said like it was her fault. "It took longer for the sedatives to dissipate from your system."

I didn't care about that. "Where's Maes?"

They snuck a silent, altogether worried glanced at each other.

I sighed. "You don't know." I dragged myself out of my mom's arms and hugged my knees. My head sank and I buried my face. "I should've ducked. He told me to duck. Why didn't I duck?"

"It wouldn't have done you any good," said Dad. "The men advancing from the front were just a diversion. Another group fired tranquilizers from above through the hole in the roof before Riza could even pull out her gun. We were passed out within seconds of you."

I shook my head against my knees. "Doesn't matter. I still screwed up. Still should've listened." I hugged my knees tighter. "But how was I supposed to know he'd gone through the Portal?"

Dad made a pained grunt. I looked over my knees to catch a look at him. His shoulders had gotten tight and his eyes were narrowed with disapproval—or was it disappointment? Mom reached and took his hand. She just looked droopily sad.

"So, you hadn't known about that either?" said Dad. "Interesting."

"He told me that was why he needed my help in the first place," I said. "My knowledge of the Truth. He'd hinted around that he'd wanted to go through the Truth himself for his dad's sake, but his body couldn't handle it. I don't know what the hell's going on."

"Why did he keep telling you and Roy you weren't alchemists?" said Mom. "Was it meant to be an insult?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"I'd like to know why he isn't here," said Dad with an edge to his calm voice. "I saw him go down with us. Why isn't he locked up?" Then Dad went and freaked me out. His eyes actually got frightened. He sank his hand in his pant pocket and pulled out something white like a hanky. I immediately recognized it as his pyrotex glove. "Why didn't they confiscate our weapons?"

My heart jumped. I looked through the dimness and caught sight of my mom's tourist-belt for the first time. Still stuffed with rounds. Her revolver was tucked securely in its holster at her hip. I looked through the bars. There weren't any guards posted. Not one. Were they really that confident? They couldn't be that stupid. I shivered. Bad, bad, bad. I worried for Maes's safety. I did. But…

But in the back of my mind I started wondering if he was maybe a little bit of a traitor. I'd thought we were done with the secrets. Did I even know Maes at all? Yes. I knew him. He would make stupid deals with the other side to get to his father. He'd go through the Portal to save him. He loved his daddy. I knew that much.

Damn it to hell!

No.

Down the hall from us, a bunch of footsteps—one pair kind of stomping, the other shuffling heavy—echoed off the stone walls. No voices, just walking. And breathing. Wheezy, hoarse breaths with little choked coughs in between. I shuddered at the thought, hoped to God I was wrong, but I knew who it was.

I swerved to my feet. "Maes?"

He got to the bars before I did, a guy in a dark mask pulling him at a pace too fast for him. Maes's knees knocked. The circles under his eyes looked like bruises and I half wondered if they were. The masked guy let go of Maes and started fumbling with keys. Maes gripped the bars to help him stand. Okay, so I was guessing he wasn't on their side. At all.

He tried to smile at me, but he just couldn't do it past his laboured breathing. His eyes smiled, though. "Hello, you." His coughs made his whole body shudder. "Doing okay?"

I ran to the bars and held my hands on top of his. Oh, God. He was so cold. "What happened to you? What's going on?"

"Shouldn't talk much right now," he said. So pale. "Hard to breathe."

I heard the clink of the cell door opening, the terrifyingly ear-splitting screech of it scraping across the stone floor. Mom and Dad were with me now, kind of guarding me. The masked guy didn't seem fazed that Mom had her hand on her gun and Dad was getting his gloves out of his pocket. Maes met my eyes and shook his head. "Don't. Don't resist."

Yeah, I took it he knew was he was talking about. I turned to my parents. "Don't resist. Seriously, just don't."

The masked guy stepped aside from the door and freaking motioned for us to escape. Too good to be true? Yes.

Maes pulled his hands from mine. "Follow us." He gave my dad a really pitiful smile. "I got us a better room."

It was weird. Maes looked like hell, but his coat was still in mint-condition. The whole of his outfit, even down to his hair, was untouched. But his body. Ugh! He looked so flipping sick. Milky skin pulled tight like he was way dehydrated, almost transparent and showing off his blood vessels in some places at his neck and around his eyes and cheekbones. His lips were pale pink, almost white, with blue tints at the edges from not breathing enough. And, dang. His gold eyes had taken on a filmy, brown-mustard tint. Beyond glassy. I could see the sweat coming down in little sparkles on the sides of his face, but his hands had been so cold. Did it take him that much effort just to stay standing?

Me and my parents herded ourselves out of the cell. Like we even had a choice. Maes seemed to be alright with it, maybe even pleased, so I was alright with it, too. The masked guy closed the cell and led the way down the hall back from the way he and Maes had come. I hurried up to Maes's side. Dad got to him too, seeing the pretty clear struggle in Maes's breathing, and offered his arm for Maes to steady himself. My dad was a sturdy crutch. Maes nodded completely grateful and held onto my Dad's arm kind of weak. He coughed again. The sound was scary to hear. Mom came behind me and we exchanged a silent look that said, 'This is going to be even worse than it looks.'

The hallway wasn't long. It took us to a long stone staircase, but there was an elevator beside it and the masked guy led us in there. The sliding metal doors looked out of place next to all the grey stone everywhere. We huddled in the cramped space and the masked guy punched in level three. The numbers of floors went up to four. Four freaking floors! How big was this operation?

Maes held tight to my dad and panted tight like an old dog. He coughed with his mouth closed to muffle it some. The sound was making me want to claw out my ears. Not an ugly sound, but I knew what it meant for him. It was a horrible sound coming from him. He must've more or less caught on to what I was thinking, because he stretched his mouth into a weak, wheezing grin for me like everything was okay.

We followed the masked guy out of the elevator into a white hallway with a white tile floor and white wallpapered walls. Long and completely barren except for a few white doors with silver knobs. Why did it always have to be white? It was to one of the doors that the masked guy led us, the one closest to the elevator. He fished out his keys and fumbled around for the right one. He chose the daintiest little pansy of a key and unlocked our door with it. He opened it up to a semi large room, white painted walls and a stark white carpeted floor, with a set of metal-framed bunk-beds at either wall, a glass coffee table with a white-shaded lamp on it in the middle, a closed door next to one of the beds, and another door at the end leading to what looked like it might be a bathroom. There weren't really any windows I could see, and that with the white made things a little claustrophobic, but it totally could have been worse. I was actually kind of thinking it was way too good to be true, given the stone cell from earlier. It looked like a freaking hotel room.

The masked guy went in first. Maes let go of my dad and followed the guy to one of the bunk-beds. Maes sat on the bottom bunk like he hadn't sat down in years. The masked guy walked over to the closed door next to the bed and unlocked it with the same key as before. He opened it to what looked like a small closet with one large metal crate-thing inside. He rolled it on out by a couple wheels at the bottom and set it in front of Maes. He picked out a new key that looked sort of like a lumpy corkscrew and unlocked the crate. He opened the top and I could see inside there was one of those metal tanks you saw scuba divers wear on their backs to breathe under water. The masked guy pulled out this shiny glass apparatus thing that sort of resembled a small funnel and he connected the small end by a tube to a plastic box attached to the tank. Maes eyed it all greedily.

The masked guy handed the glass funnel to Maes and flicked a switch on the plastic box. Maes held the funnel to his face and breathed as best as he could as the plastic box blinked and buzzed and the glass in front of his mouth clouded with vapour. An expression of heavy relief passed over Maes and he leaned back a little. The masked guy left him like that and walked past me and my parents on out through the door like he'd done his job. Maes took the glass breathing mask away from his face long enough to choke out a 'thank you,' to the guy before he closed the door on us and locked it behind.

"What the hell did you thank him for?" I said.

Now that our chaperone was gone, Maes took the opportunity to show a little extra vulnerability and laid down on his pillow. He didn't answer me. Just let his eyes close and concentrated on breathing even. Dang. He looked awful. I headed over and sat at the edge of his bed next to him. My parents hung close, spectating. Usually they would've been asking Maes what was going on by now, but it was clear to all of us he needed to not talk or be bothered right now. I reached for the bottom of his shirt without asking and he let me ease it up passed his heaving stomach and chest to get a look at his automail. Oh, God. His automail.

I cursed under my breath. Not good. No wonder he couldn't breathe. Of the eight automail fingers built into his chest, three had been disconnected. Two looked like they'd been crushed with a nutshell cracker. One had been severed completely and the bits just hung free like metal entrails. There was blood around the sites the three fingers sank into his chest where the damaged automail had broken his skin and rubbed it raw. The whole right side of his chest was bruised all surrounding the automail like the disconnected pieces under his skin were hurting him from the inside. The balance of the clenching and releasing automail fist had majorly been thrown off. His automail was breathing with a limp. I could hear my parents' voices whispering all inaudible to each other with severely worried tones.

"This," I said, "is not going to fly. Tell me what to do. I'll fix you."

Maes shook his head wearily. No words.

"Why, are you afraid I'll mess up the automail?" I assessed the damage again. "I can try some alchehestry. I don't even have to use up souls. Just a patch-up job."

Maes shook his head again. "No alchemy."

"Why?" I said. "You look like hell. You know I'm gentle."

"Not about that," he said. His voice had gotten a little looser since starting the breathing treatment. He peeled his eyes open to stare at me. "You're not an alchemist. You can't."

I really was tired of hearing him say that. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Maes looked serious. Dang serious. "They don't have to know what you can do."

That sentence gave me a bad feeling. I pulled Maes's shirt back down for him and took his hand. "Maes, what's going on? I thought you were on your way to Aunt Mei's. How did you know to come back for us?" I shifted my gaze to the side self-consciously. "I…I saw you transmute without a circle."

Maes smiled pretty big. He looked at my worried self and coughed out a chuckle. "So, I got you too." He closed his eyes and choked on another laugh. "Must've done it better than I thought."


	81. Chapter 81: Suckish Situation

Author's Note: More to come!

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Chapter 81: Suckishly Irreversible Situation

Maes smiled pretty big. He looked at my worried self and coughed out a chuckle. "So, I got you too." He closed his eyes and choked on another laugh. "Must've done it better than I thought."

"What do you mean, 'I got you too'?" I said. "I saw you. You clapped your hands together and transmuted the rubble into a freaking wall. Didn't draw a single transmutation circle."

Maes grinned smug and set the mask down for a sec to pull up his sleeve. My mom walked around the bed to stand next to me and my dad leaned in from where he was to get a better look.

"I'll be damned," Dad chuckled. "You really are his son."

Drawn in blue pen-ink at the underside of Maes's wrist was a perfect multipurpose transmutation circle. He pulled down his other sleeve to show us an identical circle drawn on his opposing wrist. He'd hidden them with the abnormally long sleeves of his jacket. Dang! I'd wondered why he'd transmuted the cuffs so tight and secure when he'd tailored the new jacket. Cool trick. I felt stupid for not thinking of that.

Maes coughed on another laugh as he rolled back down his sleeves and picked the breathing mask back up. He was already sounding better. He'd really been exerting himself, walking around with his automail all damaged.

"Had to make it look convincing," he said. "I'm not as credible to them if I haven't seen the Truth."

"Credible for what?" I asked kind of skeptical. "You can't give them their precious immortality, not even with tricked-out automail."

"They don't know that," Maes said.

"Are you trying to be held captive?" Dad said, a little irritated at being useless again.

Maes's eyes shifted onto him. "Yes."

Dad tensed like he hadn't expected Maes to actually say that. "Why would you…?"

"The gun on Aunt Riza's belt…" said Maes. "Your gloves. They let you keep them?"

Dad paused. "Yeah."

"Didn't tie you up. Don't have guards around. Doors could easily be broken down with alchemy." Maes breathed. "They don't care if the three of you escape."

Dad looked at him with a kind of disgruntled realization. "The three of us?"

Maes nodded under the glass mask. "This fortress is at the far reaches of the Yao clan's mountain range. You three get out and ninety nine times out of a hundred you'll never find your way home. It's a labyrinth of cliffs and trees. Supremists don't value you enough to stop you."

"And you, Maes?" Dad was trying to make it sound like a casual question.

Maes's eyes faded almost ashamed. He held the glass breathing mask up a little for us to get a better look at it if we for some reason hadn't already. "Oxygen's here. Can't leave. They've got me figured out."

I already knew the answer, but I asked it anyway. "Why are you doing this? You're just going to be stalling with parlour tricks until they realize you're a fake."

Dad and Mom were quiet and frozen like they actually really wanted to hear the answer. Maes just looked at me knowingly because he wasn't going to say everything out loud. "If I can keep their focus on me, I can protect you." He said, 'you,' knowing my parents would hear it as, 'you,' plural. And he knew I'd hear it as singular.

"Then you're an idiot," I said, because I knew he was right.

My abilities to manipulate souls could easily turn a man into a homunculus, but I could do so much more than that. With how adept I'd gotten since feeling my own life-force, I could probably put a hundred people in a room and make a Philosopher's Stone with my bare hands. Likewise, I could probably destroy Philosopher's Stones as easily as I'd formed them. I could make homunculi and destroy homunculi. I could draw the souls bound to immortals and make them mortal again. I could do the impossible.

I could kill the Emperor.

Which was exactly what the Supremists wanted but knew they could never achieve. Until me. If they found out what I could do, they wouldn't stop at immortality. They'd burn me out until my life-force was reduced to nothing. Or worse, they'd figure out I had the ability to add souls to my life-force as I lost them and they'd force me to keep myself alive to do their freaking awful bidding. Unless I refused. Then they'd kill Maes and my parents in front of me and then kill me too. Maybe they'd even go out and kidnap Mei and the kiddos, try to blackmail me with them. I highly doubted murdering children was beneath these Supremist guys for the sake of their messed up cause.

No way were me and Maes going to let any of that twisted-up junk happen. So, for now, Maes would just fudge it—which would only stall. We'd try to figure something out—which we probably wouldn't. We'd hope for a rescue party—which wasn't coming. We'd think about escaping—I'd have to use souls to get Maes better and then we'd probably die getting lost in the mountains. Time would run out. The bad guys would figure out Maes was a fake. We'd all die.

After about fifteen minutes, Maes was talking strong again. By far still not breathing perfect, but the mask really seemed to make a difference. He didn't look nearly as sick. He even sat up on his bed to make for less awkward conversation.

Mom really took to him. Apparently she and Aunt Winry had honestly gotten along back in the day and Mom had gotten completely excited when she'd found out Aunt Winry was pregnant. She'd been the third person in the world to hold Maes when he was a baby, excluding the midwife lady. Winry, Ed, then Mom. I, to my surprise, had apparently been the fourth. I'd held him on my dad's lap, so he kind of counted as the fifth.

"You were number four and a half," said Maes to my dad, perfectly serious. "I was only half on your lap. We made a Nina-sandwich."

Dad kind of smiled at that logic. He and Mom were still getting used to the whole 'Maes effect.' At least they weren't really taking offense at his weirdo statements anymore.

"You were a tiny kid," said Dad from the bottom bunk across from us. "Not that I've had that much experience with babies in my life, but you were definitely the smallest one I'd ever seen. I was scared Nina was going to kill you, she was squeezing you so tight."

I stuck my fist on my hip. "Hey!"

Mom patted my back. "He was just the right size for you. Any full-term baby wouldn't have fit on your little lap."

Maes smiled victorious and said "You're welcome," as if he'd been born early on purpose just to fit on my lap.

"You were a miracle baby," said Mom. "Five weeks is early. You had a right to be small."

Maes's shoulders sank a little. His gaze veered off to the side kind of ashamed. He touched his automail gently. "Yeah, I know."

Mom and Dad gave me this look at the same time, like, 'Oh, hell! What just happened?'

"Do you know," said Maes, "that I was five full inches shorter than my younger sister when I was twelve? Four-foot seven. Shorter than my dad was at that age and they used to call him 'pipsqueak.' But he didn't have anything on me. I didn't think I'd live to be five-foot." Maes cracked a smile. "Now I'm six-one. That's an inch past my dad's height." Maes sank again. "Or, it was."

My parents looked severely helpless and uncomfortable. I scooted over the bed close enough to give Maes a gentle hug. Had to be careful not to press against his screwed-up automail. "You know what?" I said. "You really suck at cheering yourself up."

I could see my dad's blood-drained look of horror at my less than tactful phraseology and by the way his eyes were darting to my mom, I got the idea she was looking just the same. But Maes set the mask down to hug me back all cuddly and said with the upmost sincerity, "Thanks, Nina."

I didn't hold him too long, not like I normally would, since my dad was watching and he was looking not so happy. Maes caught the frown on my dad's face and settled for just keeping a loose arm around me. "Gosh, Uncle Roy," he said with a smug smile. "After you finally find out all I've gone through, you still can't help giving me the dagger eyes when your daughter hugs me?"

"It would probably be a little easier for me if I hadn't walked in on you kissing her earlier."

Mom turned to me. "He kissed you?"

"Kind of a joint effort."

To my dad's great distress, Mom smiled. She looked at the both of us as a set. "So, you two are…?"

My expression kind of flattened. "Jeez, it wasn't obvious?"

Maes laughed at Mom. "You honestly think I get this touchy-feely with just anybody off the street?"

Mom shrugged, not half embarrassed over her ignorance. "Well, of course you two had something going on, but I thought you might still be in a grey area. It's only been two months, and from what you've told me, it was supposed to be all business."

"Ha!" I said, giving Maes a look. "Um, no. Not possible. Trust me. We tried."

Dad looked sick. He had his eyes down like he was trying really hard not to get involved in the conversation. Maes was looking at Dad kind of smirky like he was trying to figure out a way to mess with him without getting burned. I kind of realized this was the moment my father had dreaded for the past nineteen years. The day I came home with a boyfriend. Considering past threats, Dad was doing pretty damn well.

* * *

REPLIES!

KTrevo: Maes -a man shrouded in mystery.

pitstop96: Yep, I get to dare. Cuz I'm the author ;)

singerklainer333: Happy Birthday! *late*

SavFFLover: Lip sucking's a habit of mine. Didn't mean for it to show up in Nina, but she wrote herself. Cool that it's rubbed off on you :D

mixmax300: Maes going through the Portal would plot-twist the fool out of me :S

ichigo chikoreeto: I had some raw talent, I guess, but most of it comes with practice. If you wanna write well, do it :)

otakgirlyy: Not a far-off guess...


	82. Chapter 82: False Sense of Security

Author's Note: Continue rapid posting!

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Chapter 82: False Sense of Security

Our first night really lulled us into what my mom figured was a false sense of security. I mean, Maes had gotten pretty sick before the special breathing equipment, and we really were complete captives, but the room was way nice and they even gave us toothbrushes and fresh towels in the bathroom. Maes said he'd give our captors all our clothes sizes next time they took him away so they could get us some changes of clothes, too. Hospitable much?

For an extremist group who, according to Maes, couldn't care less if me or my parents lived or died, they sure did take awful good care of us. I mean, this was downright good hosting from these creeps. Maes finally just admitted that the truth was, they were smart enough to take advantage of how cooperative he was being. They wanted to make sure he kept it up, wanted to keep him thinking they were actually negotiating, that they'd let all of us go alive and free once they had what they wanted. Like my mom had said. False sense of security.

Well, it worked for me. They could go ahead and 'false sense' us all they wanted. I preferred the 'security' part over my pride.

Even though Maes was way tired and still really sad over losing his daddy, he wouldn't tell my parents to quit talking to him when it got really late. Like, we were all kind of wired from sleeping so long on those tranquilizers, but from the way Maes described it, he hadn't been out nearly as long and he had to be in real pain with the way his automail was messed up. I was going to have a word with my folks, tell them to give him a break and let him go on and sleep, but Maes seemed so willing to converse that I almost wondered if he needed the distraction. He'd needed distractions in the past. It seemed probable. So I let the conversing continue and hoped Maes wouldn't pass out from exhaustion mid-sentence.

Mom stood up from turning Maes's oxygen back on. He'd been off it for a good while, but then he'd got on his feet to go to the bathroom and by the time he'd walked the distance back to the bed, he was wheezing and coughing all over again.

"It's amazing," Mom said. "The things you can do with automail. Nina was just telling me about the children you've helped in Rush Valley. She said you drew the design for that automail supporting your lungs yourself."

"Yep," Maes said, tapping it lightly. "And even I can't fix it with how much those goons smashed it up."

"Harsh," I said.

"Yeah," said Maes.

"Did it hurt?" Mom asked. "I just remember how hard Edward's automail was on him."

Maes tried pretty effective at hiding the pang of having his dad mentioned. He shrugged. "Well, yeah, sure it hurts. Automail's the equivalent of fusing metal to your nerve endings and forcing your body into treating it like it's flesh. It's completely unnatural. It sucks. You saw my dad suffering from a couple automail limbs. Imagine having that stuff jammed inside your body and welded to a vital system. It hurts to hell."

Wow. Honest. Guessed there was no use tip-toeing around it at this point. Still, it was clear that it wasn't really the answer my mom had been expecting. Or my dad, for that matter. He looked pretty sad himself, but more like he was sympathizing at what it must've been like for a dad to watch.

"I'm sorry," said Mom.

"No," said Maes, "it's okay. It keeps me breathing, so I don't really have room to complain. My dad gave up his life-force so I'd live long enough to have this chunk of metal bolted into me." Oh, Maes. Way to make everyone feel worse.

I broke the silence. "Yeah, well, you should take better care of it. After all your dad sacrificed, Maes, you've really slacked on the upkeep of that automail of yours."

Maes grinned. "I know. It's shameful."

"It's alright," I said. "I forgive you."

There was a kind of sweet moment where Maes held my hand really happy to have me next to him, but my dad got jealous. "Maes," he said, "how did you know to come back for us back at the Palace?"

He had a point.

"Yeah, Maes," I said, meeting his suddenly straight face. "How'd you know?"

Maes looked at the three of us, catching the suspicion coming off my dad. He smiled kind of amused. "You really want to know?"

Dad looked at Maes like, 'You're joking, right?'

"Yes, Maes," Mom said, taking the direct approach. "We want to know."

Maes kept his eyes on my dad like he was making sure he had permission. "Sure you really want to hear me tell it out?"

Dad sighed kind of annoyed. "Yes, I'm sure."

Maes nodded. He leaned back a little more relaxed and left the breathing mask on the pillow beside him. He tilted his head to look up at really nothing in particular. Then his eyes did that rapid back and forth thing and he recited, "Left Palace. First gate. Second gate. Third gate. Thirty seven steps. That man was on a poster. Which man? Guarded the door last night. What poster? Wanted. Wanted for what? Traitor. Murderer. Conspirator. Yao Supremist. Hair's different. Shaved his beard. Inside man. Guarded the door last night. Said it was sound-proofed. Was he lying? No, couldn't hear. Did he know a weak spot? Maybe. Heard what happened? Probably. There by coincidence? Never. Saw our faces? Yes. Will he remember Nina? Absolutely. Is he still there? Saw him on my way out. Is she still there? I told her not to leave. Palace is in chaos. Nina is vulnerable. Nina trusts him. Run back thirty four steps. Need pen. Borrow pen. Draw circles. Sleeves too short to hide circles. Cloth awkward and embroidered by hand. Can't transmute quickly enough. Back through third, second, first gate. Banners in front of Palace. Connected at roof. Climb roof. Steal red banner. Make coat. Long sleeves. Tight cuffs. Circles hidden. Stay on roof. Listen through weak points and windows. Palace staff. Staff. Official. Staff. Supremist spy; useless. Staff. Supremist spy; useful. Immortality. Nina prisoner. Sound-proofed room. Over soon. Be ready. Have to go. Count the steps we took last time. Ninety seventh tile of the seventeenth roof centre-right. Hear their voices. Transmute hole? Good to test circles on wrists. Leave rubble for material in case of fight. Don't let rubble hit friends. Don't let rubble kill enemies. Listen for voices. Take opening. Transmute. Jump through."

Yeah, Mom and Dad definitely had that, 'dot, dot, dot,' look about them. Couldn't blame them.

Maes saw their faces when he leaned forward again. He tapped his lap self-consciously. "At least, that was my thought process." He shrugged. "You did say you were sure you wanted to hear it."

"Yeah," said Dad, a little thrown off. "I was thinking more along the lines of a brief summary. I wasn't expecting you to list out every individual thought you had at the time in exact order."

Mom laughed. "Though, it was impressive."

I chuckled as Maes shrank a little where he sat. He picked up his breathing mask, almost hiding behind it.

"Damn, Maes," I said. "That _was_ a brief summary for you, wasn't it?"

Maes sighed to me, at a complete loss. "I tried not to make it too boring," said Maes. "Guess I failed."

Mom and Dad didn't seem to get it. I smiled proud, because my boyfriend was smarter than my parents. "Maes thinks really fast," I said. "His eyes looking back and forth like that was kind of like him going over all his thoughts and then what he said was just what he filtered out of it that he figured was the most important." I looked at Maes to double-check I'd said it right. He nodded his approval.

It took a moment, but Mom finally laughed and reached over me to give Maes a reassuring pat on the knee. "You really are Edward's son."

Maes gave Mom a really sweet, endearing look. "Thanks, Aunt Riza. I try."

I watched my dad, the way he leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles really contemplative. He was quiet in that kind of freaky way where you had no idea what he was thinking but you knew you'd never have thought of it yourself. Jeez. Was I into guys that reminded me of my dad?

"Hey, kid," Dad finally said, catching Maes's attention, "if we make it out of this alive, you should consider becoming a State Alchemist. We could use a man like you."

Seriously? That's what he was thinking about? Recruiting? Mom rolled her eyes kind of discreetly. Maes laughed lightly at the idea. "Well," he said, "that's one sure-fire way to send my dad rolling in his grave."

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REPLIES!

KTrevo: Roy could find a way to justify burning anybody to a crisp if he really needed to. He's just that irrational.

SavFFLover: The words dads hate to hear: "Your daughter is growing (and going through 'changes')."

pitstop96: Haha, yes! Patience is key ;)

mixmax300: So, did you want Roy to explode figuratively or literally? Just curious.

verry-chan: Well, Roy did muster up the self-restraint to stop short of avenging Hughes, so I assumed he he'd have it in him to restrain himself from avenging Nina's lips.

Hawkstang: Glad to be updating again, too! Gotta catch up!

author12306: Woe be to the character who get's dragged into a practice4morale story.

MYcookies: Nina's a total cougar! But once you're an adult, an age difference like 3yrs doesn't really matter if you get along.

otakgirlyy: I used to kind of suck at writing. All I can say is, PRACTICE! If you've got some creative energy, don't be afraid to use it. Keep writing until you're adept and then keep writing!


	83. Chapter 83: OVA Grandma

**OH MY GOSH! I THOUGHT I POSTED THIS CHAPTER THIS MORNING! OOPS TIMES TEN!**

Author's Note: I started this a while ago. It was a simple idea, but it turned really long by accident. Enjoy!

BTW: The third chapter of 'The Next Step in Life' is up!

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Chapter 83: OVA Grandma

"Teacher!" Edward had said. "This is Maes."

It had been an incredibly simple introduction, but Izumi Curtis would never forget it. Edward and his wife had brought the baby over only a matter of weeks after he was born. Ed had been so proud of him that it seemed he couldn't wait much longer than that to show him off. So, he and Winry had invited themselves to Dublith, just assuming Izumi and Sig were dying to meet their child.

Which had been exactly the case.

Izumi remembered the first time she'd held him. Edward asked, "Want to hold him, Teacher?"

And she'd replied. "Are you an idiot? Of course I want to hold him. Give him over. I'll show you how it's done."

Maes had felt so good in her arms, still so tiny with little movements and little breaths and sounds. It almost felt too good. Something so perfect that she'd never got to have and now she was mooching off of Edward of all people. She had briefly considered kidnapping the baby, but the week had passed and she and Sig had said goodbye to the Elrics at the end, pretending it didn't hurt. And Izumi spent the next month trying not to miss the sound of a Maes's cries when he'd woken her up five times every night.

That had been then, Maes's first and only _leisure_ trip to Dublith. Since then, Izumi had hosted the Elrics only once more, about a year after Maes's sister Sophie had been born. Maes had gotten a bad case of pneumonia shortly after turning two and he'd had to pay a short visit to Dublith's children's hospital. But that had been it. The Elrics hadn't even stayed a full week. Izumi met Sophie in the midst of Sophie's peak of separation anxiety. The brat wouldn't leave her mother's arms and she'd scream every time Izumi or Sig so much as looked at her. Maes had spent most of his time in Dublith either at the hospital or napping. Sure, he'd been sick, but Izumi still couldn't help but feel snubbed. The first time she'd held him, she'd imagined things going a certain way from there. Things obviously hadn't gone that way.

Well, it was three years since the Elrics' last visit. Three years with barely a word besides a monthly phone call to check in. Edward never even offered to put the kids on. So, naturally, Izumi did what any alchemist would do. She followed the law of equivalent exchange and returned Edward's favour from five years ago. She and Sig invited _themselves_ over for a week. If Ed didn't like it, he could take it up with her.

It was odd, though. On the phone, after Izumi announced her upcoming visit, Edward hadn't seemed put-out or terrified of her like he how he usually reacted. He'd just answered quietly, "Well, great, but…um…Teacher, you should be prepared. Maes isn't the same." Well of course he wouldn't be! She'd seen him twice since he was born. The first time he'd only been a few weeks old, the second he'd been asleep with a fever the entire time. He was five years old now, for goodness sake. Of course he'd be different. Come to think of it, he'd probably be just like his father by now. That thought comforted Izumi. Handling Edward's temperamental personality was known territory for her. Seemed fitting.

Sig's knock on the door sounded more like a bang with his strong fist. Izumi would've kicked the door down if he'd left it up to her. She'd waited long enough to see the Elrics without having to wait on Edward to answer the damn door. But the force wasn't needed. The door did, eventually open. It opened slowly, almost heavy. Izumi looked down to see a little face peaking up at her and Sig from behind the door. He smiled and held the door for them. He was panting like he'd had to race to get to the door to let them in. It crossed Izumi's mind that Edward could have forgotten she and Sig were even coming today.

Izumi set her hands on her hips. "Where's your idiot-father?"

The little boy continued to cling behind the door, his big golden eyes glancing back as if to gesture toward the staircase behind him. So, upstairs?

"You don't want to answer me, huh?" said Izumi. "You're Maes, correct?"

He smiled bigger and nodded. He was missing a front tooth.

Izumi folded her arms and chuckled dryly. "Well, you're just as puny as Ed was."

Maes kept his bright smile, to Izumi's mild surprise, and nodded again.

There was a series of pounding footsteps on the wooden stairs behind Maes that reminded Izumi vaguely of what she'd always imagined a stampeding elephant would sound like. Minus the intermittent cries from its trunk. Instead, Edward's usual loud tone yelled, "Maes?"

The little boy looked over his bony shoulder with a pang of sudden anxiety in his countenance. Izumi observed as Edward's tall form clumsily hurried to the doorway where she and Sig had been waiting. Her folded arms tightened into a stricter stance and she cocked her hip slightly to indicate anger. He really had forgotten, hadn't he?

"Edward," she addressed in a less than friendly greeting.

She'd expected a nervous, 'Teacher, you're here already?' or some other weak attempt at pretending he'd remembered, but Edward didn't even seem to see her. He brushed her and Sig's presence off and went right to where the boy was peaking from, where he'd been standing on the other side, clinging to the knob. Edward seemed to pale as he caught sight of his son standing there and Izumi was almost ready to take offense, but then Edward got closer to kneel beside his son and Izumi got a better look at his face. The way his eyes fixed on his son, wide and focused. Edward was frightened of something and it wasn't Izumi this time.

"Maes, what are you doing off the couch? Mom told you to stay put." Edward put a firm hand out to Maes and Maes quickly took it, holding it with a shaky grasp for a split second before stepping forward to sink into Edward's arms.

"Door," said Maes, "knocked." His tiny voice was raspy like he had a tight chest. Izumi wondered if he'd come down with another cold like last time. Perfect timing. Maes coughed into Edward's shoulder and glanced up at his guests. "Sorry, Daddy."

Izumi sighed. "It's nice to see you, too, Edward."

Ed seemed to catch the edge to her voice with very little humour. He scooped up his son. Izumi noted how much smaller and thinner Maes was than she'd originally thought now that he'd stepped out from behind the door.

"You shouldn't have made him stand around like that," said Edward. "He's waiting for you to come inside so he can sit down again."

"He hasn't said a word to us," said Izumi.

"Good," said Edward with clear relief. "He shouldn't be talking. You'd better come in. If the wind blows any dander inside, it'll give Maes a rough time."

Izumi watched Edward lift his tiny child with his back to her, walking on down the hall with shocking indifference to her. She'd never once seen Edward so at ease around her. No, that wasn't the word for it. He wasn't at ease. He wasn't indifferent. He was distracted.

Izumi filed in after Edward and Sig followed with the bags, shutting the door respectfully behind them. Edward led them to a small sitting room with a couch, a couple chairs, and a coffee table in the middle. The coffee table had been scooted up next to the couch with a plastic child's cup set on it at arm's reach. The couch was rumpled from recent use. A pale blue bed-pillow rested at the end with the cup scooted close and a matching pale blue sheet lay pushed back against the back of the couch like an unmade bed. It was here that Edward chose to set Maes down, gently placing the fragile body onto the cushions like a bird resting its baby in a nest. Maes coughed hard like the change in position startled his breathing. Ed came up from the couch with a pained look, his golden eyes seeming not as golden as Izumi was used to. There was a sense of loss to his smile. Ed was obviously upset about something. Maes smiled back like he wasn't really oblivious to it, just used to it.

Ed rubbed Maes's head like he was petting an eggshell. "Need to stay put, kiddo."

Maes nodded. Edward pulled the sheet around Maes's shoulders and patted his twiggy arm. Izumi tried not to jump to conclusions, but this obviously wasn't just a cold. She'd never seen Edward like this.

"Izumi," said Sig softly. He motioned to an empty chair, ever cautious for her wellbeing.

"Thank you, darling," Izumi said. She'd humour him, but she wasn't sure sitting down was what Edward really had in mind for her to do.

Edward looked at her, not fully meeting her eyes. "Maes isn't doing too well right now. I'll fill you in later. Winry's upstairs disciplining Sophie for beating up the neighbour's kid again. I better go back her up." Edward cracked a wry smile. "Actually, I don't really see the problem. This kid's eight years older than my girl. He has a clear advantage. It's his own damn fault if he was stupid enough to call Sophie short without knowing how to throw a good punch. Pretty sad, actually."

Maes sat up a bit. "Just doesn't want to hurt a little girl."

Ed looked back at Maes. "Maybe so." He knelt next to the couch and kissed Maes's forehead. It startled Izumi a little to see Edward loving his son so openly. He'd never been one for excessive affection. Edward stood. "Take it easy, okay?" Maes nodded. Ed looked at Izumi and Sig. "Don't let him get up and don't let him talk too much. No more than a couple sentences at a time. If he starts coughing too much or his lips turn blue, just yell and I'll be down."

Izumi nodded. "Alright, Ed." The way Edward was handling the obvious sickness in his son like it was second nature was unsettling to Izumi.

"I'll be back, big guy," said Ed with a smile to Maes. "We'll see if we can get a corn muffin down you."

Maes grinned and nodded excitedly. The small movement seemed to exhaust him quickly and he laid back and coughed hard into the crook of his arm. Ed's smile faded. He looked at Izumi. "I'm glad you're finally here, Teacher. We can catch up in a minute."

"Yes."

Maes gave Edward a shaky finger-wave as Edward left the room. Sig seated himself in the chair opposite from Izumi at the other end of the couch. Izumi shifted to fold her legs. It was funny. She'd expected to be terrorizing Ed and his kids by now. Instead she was babysitting the sick child while Edward punished the disobedient one upstairs. She looked at Maes's sickly form huddled underneath the blue sheet. He was lying there like deadweight, but his eyes were pointed at her, filled with a tired kind of pulsing energy. He smiled with life in his colourless face.

"I," he said, "missed you."

Izumi leaned in to talk with him. His voice was breathless and hard to make out from where she was. "It's been a long time. Do you remember us?"

Maes nodded. He tilted his gaze to the ceiling and his eyes darted back and forth three times. He spoke fluidly, "Are you an idiot? Of course I want to hold him. Give him over. I'll show you how it's done." He looked back from the ceiling and panted to catch his breath from the talking.

Izumi met eyes with Sig for a moment. She turned back to Maes. "That's what I said the first time I met you, isn't it? Did your father tell you that story?"

"It's the echo I hear," said Maes, "when I listen to your voice." Maes turned his gaze to Sig. His eyes darted back and forth twice. "He'll be as short as Ed was. Maybe not as loud, though." Maes laid heavy on his pillow and closed his eyes through a series of pained coughs. So, this was what Ed had meant by no more than two sentences at a time.

Sig looked to Izumi. "How'd he know that? I said that when he was barely a month old."

"Ed must have told him," said Izumi. "I had no idea he'd been paying that much attention." Maes had recited it seemingly word for word. Izumi reached her hand out to Maes and touched his pale cheek. For skin so colourless, he certainly was warm. Not exactly a fever, but flushed-feeling. "Do I need to call your dad down, Maes?"

Maes looked up at Izumi and leaned his cheek into her hand. "Have another blanket, please?"

Izumi blinked. His skin felt too warm for him to be cold, but maybe he really was approaching a fever and he was having the beginnings of chills. Izumi glanced at Sig and he nodded, already getting up to go get a blanket. He left Izumi there with her arm still outstretched to stroke Maes's face. Maes smiled up at Izumi, breathing too fast from his mouth. He tilted his face away from Izumi's hand to let out a tiny cough. He swallowed down his doubtlessly dry throat.

"Daddy's sad," he said quietly, "because I'm going to die. Swear you won't tell him I know."

Something about the rationality in Maes's voice made Izumi feel sick. "You're not going to die, dear. You're just a little sick."

"I was," said Maes, "born too soon." He took a couple breaths. "Caught too many colds and now my lungs," he coughed, "won't get better. Too weak. Only a matter of time."

Izumi looked hard at him. It seemed that he really believed in all this. She thought back to Ed's distracted and sombre behaviour since she and Sig had gotten there, about how quickly he and Winry had left Dublith after Maes had seen the doctor at the children's hospital when he was two. Maes had been so tiny back then, so sick. He'd barely been able to get out of bed, even when Edward was holding him. His breathing had been so laboured. Laboured like it was now. Izumi shuddered. "Maes, how long have you been sick like this?"

"Had the flu a week ago," he said. "Better now."

"No," said Izumi. "How long have you been sick _like this_?"

Maes furrowed his brow. "I was two, remember? You were there."

Izumi swallowed. "But you got better."

Maes shook his head. "Lungs are too weak. Scarred them. I'm always," he coughed, "sick."

Izumi dropped out of her chair and knelt beside Maes's couch. She took his fragile hand, her neck prickling at the limpness of his brittle arm. Her mouth didn't know what to say to him. He was a five year old child. Maes looked down at their joined hands and smiled. He tensed his fingers around her grip just slightly enough for Izumi to feel the pressure.

"Your hands," he said, "are rough like a man's." He grinned. "Not like a lady at all."

Izumi met his thrilled golden eyes with a strange sensation pulsing through her. Somehow the way Maes had said it made the statement feel flattering. No, flattering wasn't the word. It was as if Maes held admiration for her, like he thought the callouses on her hands made her more beautiful than if she hadn't had them.

She found herself saying, "Thank you, Maes." And she found herself loving her hardened hands as his soft child's fingers wriggled tighter to her grip.

Maes rested his mouth, coughing in the back of his throat. He looked so delicate, a little skeleton draped in a blue sheet. He was supposed to be five, but his height could have suggested he was barely going on four. Izumi felt his hand tremble in hers and she realized he'd begun to shiver. She realized why Maes had asked Sig to bring him a proper blanket.

"Can I," said Maes shakily, "be in your lap?"

Izumi blinked, thrown off by Maes's blatant request to be held. In her experience, once most little boys reached kindergarten, being held was babyish and out of the question. But Maes strained to reach his arms out to her and waited patiently for her to receive him. Izumi shot up off the floor. "Of course you can be on my lap," she said. "Try not to move on your own. I've got you." Gently, Izumi lifted Maes's bony, trembling body into her arms. It disturbed her at how light he was for her. She could barely feel him. All she could really feel were his knobby bones jutting against her. She hated to think that eating could have been an issue for him too.

Izumi sat back on the couch with him and swaddled the sheet over him, layering it to make it thicker. "Does it feel like a fever, Maes?" she asked. "Like chills?"

Maes curled into Izumi and nestled against her, still shivering. "You," he said, "are great at this. Good as Mom."

It made Izumi's heart skip at being compared to a mother. Of course she was great at this. It was what she was meant to do.

"I'm your Maes, okay?" He coughed. "Bet you'd be good," he said, "at being my grandma."

Izumi felt her eyes widen. Grandma? Now there was something she'd never thought she'd want to be. Having grandchildren was fine, but being called 'Grandma'? Grandma. It sounded so crotchety in her head, but from Maes's mouth with his breathless little voice…

"Baby?" Winry said, half-running into the sitting room. She had a comforter with yellow ducks on the material folded over her arm. Sig stood at the doorway, meeting Izumi's eyes with a near smile. It was as if this was exactly what he'd wanted to return to, Izumi and Maes together. Judging by how urgent Winry was acting now, Sig had probably stalled for a while before informing her there was even a problem.

"I'm happy, Mommy," said Maes, clinging to Izumi.

Winry unfolded the comforter in her arms quickly. "Happy does not mean healthy, sweetheart. You need to tell us if you're feeling sick."

"Always feel sick," said Maes. Izumi could feel him tensing against her. He was trying to bring down the shaking. "It'll stop," he said, "in a minute."

Winry pushed the comforter around Maes, treating Izumi like an inanimate mattress beneath him. Was this how it was for Ed and his wife now? Nothing in their focus but preserving the life of their son? Izumi couldn't blame them for that. She of all people could never blame them for it. Watching the tormented grief passing through Winry's eyes as they looked on and off of Maes was like looking in a mirror.

"Hey, kiddo," Edward said, stepping into the room with his eyes on his boy.

Izumi saw it now. It really wasn't indifference she'd seen in Ed earlier or distraction. Edward was in agony. So, Maes really had been spot on. It was clear. Edward Elric, Izumi's little Edward Elric, was losing his child.

"Happy here, Daddy," said Maes, watching Edward approaching. "Don't want to go to bed."

Winry shook her head. "Baby, if you're sick, you're sick. You know the rule. You need to rest until it's over."

So, this wasn't resting?

Ed bent down in front of Izumi, putting his arms out to Maes. "Come on, Maes. Teacher's going to be here all week. You two can hang out later."

Maes shook his head. "Waited all day for her to come."

Izumi felt a sudden irrational guilt for not taking an earlier train. She spoke softly to the boy. "Maes, I really am happy to see you, but if your parents say you need to rest, then you should trust their judgement. I'll be here when you wake up."

Izumi tried to ignore the pleading look on Maes's face and she leaned him out of her arms a little for Edward to take. Ed scooped an arm under him and Maes's eyes widened with a shock of sudden horror. His bony hand scrunched around a handful of Izumi's shirt and he clung on, holding onto his place in her arms with a helpless amount of strength. "Please, no! Don't make me!" He buried his face in Izumi's arm, coughing from the effort. The shivers coursing through him faltered and quaked and Izumi realized he was crying. "Don't want…"

Ed backed away, obviously stunned by Maes's display. "Maes…?"

"Don't want her to," he said, "go." He coughed on a sob. "No one ever comes for me anymore. I can't," he coughed, "leave the house, so they all forget I'm here. I'm already dead to them. Already gone." Maes cried heavy child's tears. "Just want to stay with Grandma five more minutes."

Izumi had a choking feeling in her chest and she fought to swallow it down. She wrapped her arms around Maes and patted his shuddering back with her calloused man's hand. "Hush, dear. Don't work yourself up."

Izumi heard Winry's muffled sob next to her. Ed was looking at Maes like he felt like crying, too. Izumi knew Ed wasn't one to cry. She watched him fight it, push it down, stuff it. Maes continued to cry and cough and try to catch his breath in her arms. Izumi suddenly felt unwelcome for having brought this on.

Finally, Edward stood, his face relaxing. He kept his eyes on Maes. "Hey, kiddo?" His voice was coming off with a smug edge. "Did you just call my teacher, 'Grandma'?"

Maes's shuddering cries died down a little at Ed's playful tone. He sniffled. "She said," he coughed, "I was allowed."

Ed chuckled. "Grandma? Seriously, Teacher?"

Izumi hugged onto Maes. "Why wouldn't I be serious?"

"No reason," said Ed. "You just never came across as the cheerful, cookie-baking type." He folded his arms proudly and sighed. "Guess my guy's got you wrapped around his little finger with the rest of us. Should've known you wouldn't last five minutes."

"You talk like I was trying to avoid it," said Izumi.

Edward didn't reply to that. He smiled at Maes reassuringly, tall and strong and fearless for his boy, but Izumi could easily detect the storm behind Ed's eyes. According to Maes, his parents hadn't realized he'd known he was dying. Until now. It made perfect sense that Winry would lose it a little bit in the moment, but Izumi had watched Edward spend years practicing how to hide weakness from everyone and he wasn't going to crack now. She saw his eyes focused on Maes as he likely went over his son's sobbed words again and again in his mind. She saw his neck tensed as he probably craved to take Maes from her arms so he could hold him himself. Who knew how much longer Maes would be around to hold?

Izumi felt Maes's body fall suddenly limp in her arms. It was so abrupt that is made her jump in her skin. If it weren't for how raspy and audible his breathing was, she might've been afraid he'd died in her arms. Izumi cradled his floppy form, still and lukewarm like the baby she'd lost years ago. And there it was. The warm trickle of tears spilling over the rims of her eyes. Izumi batted them away, but it was too late. A noticeable few had already escaped. She pulled Maes's sleeping body closer and kissed his golden head. Still damp with chilled sweat.

"Hey, Grandma," said Ed. He held out a fresh white handkerchief in front of her, letting it dangle like a hypnotic device. "Thanks for holding my kid."

"Of course," said Izumi, snatching the hanky and dabbing her face. "You didn't honestly think I came all this way for you, did you? I'm here for my grandkids."

Sig smiled from the doorway. First an alchemist, then a housewife, now a grandmother. Izumi was sure Sig would've liked to have seen how Maes had managed to get Izumi to agree to that role. Well, they planned to stay at least a week. Sig would understand soon enough.

* * *

REPLIES!

verry-chan: I actually think a lot like that, but I think so fast all my ideas get jumbled and a lot of them don't finish themselves :S Great for inspiring writing, though :D

AuthorChick96: I'm glad I didn't write Maes out to be ADD. It would be scary. Nina would be scarier.

ZipTheArtsyFox: Aw, now I feel bad for posting a sad OVA.

xXEmiShaeXx: The thing with the crapton of rabid fangirls made me laugh. A lot.

Awsome anon: Ha! Angry janitors. Can't get enough of those.

SavFFLover: Wow, poor Ed had a terrible, drawn out awkward-phase.

KTrevo: Roy Mustang's one of those 'carpe diem' kind of guys.

mixmax300: Poor Roy would probably end up lighting his own fuse.

pitstop96: In high school I was in love with tall skinny guys with dark hair and light eyes. Then I realized that's how my dad looked when he was my age. And yes, Armstrong as a merman was an awesome idea I wish I'd thought of myself.

Phantomhivehost: Too soon?

Hawkstang: Maes is kind of an over-thinker. And a chatty bunny.

author12306: Haha! I inspire sadism.

TheKingOfOkay: Can't have a story without plot and can't have a plot without conflict. I just wrote big conflict(s).

Polarized Penmanship: Hahaha! Nice summary. You should do a sparknotes synopsis of this story.


	84. Chapter 84: Week One

Author's Note: I need to sleep like a normal person. Then my daily posts would be daily and not nocturnal/spastic/wtf?

Oh! And I've decided to aim for a perfect hundred chapters to finish this because I like clean-cuts like that. Knowing me, I might go over that limit a bit, but we'll see. Just a heads up.

* * *

Chapter 84: Week One

The first night was the worst. I didn't have any band-aids on hand to keep me from doing alchemy in my sleep, so I had to smother my hands in a couple of washcloths and I had to get my mother to bind them tight so my fingers couldn't snap. Not the most comfortable method of sleep.

Maes's oxygen had a dull hum to it in the silence of night and it ate at me while I tried to fall asleep. We'd already stayed up way late talking, and the more I put off sleep, the more violent my dreams tended to become.

Falling asleep that night was nothing compared to waking up, though.

…

"Nina," Dad whispered. "Nina, we're right here."

I peered through the darkness around me. My parents had half-climbed to my top bunk. I could just make out their shapes hovering over me, could feel their hands touching my arm and cheek like they didn't realize this had been happening every night for as long as I could remember. I squirmed away.

"Get off," I said. "Your hands are bugging me silly."

"Nina, sweetie, you were crying," said Mom. Oh, yeah, brilliant observation.

I twisted to look at her. "Just woke up from being eaten alive by a bunch of freaky black hands. Pretty much not fun at all. Don't want to be touched right now, you got me?"

Mom shrank away. "I got you."

"The Portal?" said Dad, his voice a tad haunted.

I curled up. "No kidding. It's all I've ever dreamt about."

Dad leaned forward a little in an agitated kind of way. "You said you'd outgrown the nightmares."

Somehow, the fact that I'd spent the past two months with a guy who knew all about my sleep issues made it annoying for me to listen to my parents being all ignorant about them. I mean, Jeez! If they'd taken a break from preserving Amestris every once in a while and actually been there to say goodnight and good morning half the time, maybe they would've gotten a clue that I'd been lying to them since I was twelve so they'd get the hell off my case.

"Nina," said Dad, "you said the dreams weren't a problem anymore."

"Not your problem," I said.

Mom touched my foot. "Nina—"

I jerked away. "Leave me alone. I get grumpy when I wake up from a bad one."

"She really does," Maes said hoarsely from below. "Trust me."

"I know that," said Dad. "I'm her father. She wakes up worse than Riza most mornings. You don't have to tell me…"

"Roy, he's asleep."

Already? True, Maes tended to fall asleep fast when he hit the pillow, but I wasn't used to mid-conversation. His automail hadn't been broken for a full day yet and he was already thoroughly wiped out. I could hear him coughing in his sleep in the bunk under me. I remembered what he'd said a while back about how I was lucky because I got to wake up from my nightmares.

…

We got canned food for breakfast. Mostly veggies and a jar of cooked ground meat. Not exactly lovely, but at least we knew where it was coming from.

…

Maes didn't wake up properly until they brought us our lunch. The guards took him away with them when they came for our trash and junk. They left his oxygen behind. Maes smiled at us on his way out and said, "See you later."

…

My knees buckled and my butt plunked on Maes's unmade bed. Damn it!

"Oh, this is bad," I muttered. My elbows leaned on my knees and I dropped my face in my hands. I shook my bowed head. "Holy darn. This is flipping awful."

Mom sank down beside me and chanced putting her arm around my shoulders all maternal. I let her do it. I was over the nightmare.

"They want something from him," she said. "They won't kill him."

"Yeah, whatever. But what happens when he can't give them what they want, huh? They won't have to kill him. All they have to do is turn their backs for five minutes and Maes will keel on his own."

Dad stepped up to the bed. "You said you'd been looking for a way to save Edward's life for the past two months. Well, you and Maes must have run across some good options during your research."

I sucked my lip. "No, there was nothing."

…

Nothing that didn't include using souls.

…

He came back breathless and kind of blue-tinted.

"Maes!" Surprisingly, Dad was the first to say it.

Me and Mom had been hiding in the bathroom chatting about stuff that Dad didn't need to hear. We heard Dad say Maes's name all loud and alarmed and we ran on out just in time to catch the door closing. Dad was helping Maes keep on his feet with his arms around him like a backwards hug. From where I was, it was pretty darn obvious that most of Maes's weight was on my dad. It looked like he'd fainted backward for a sec and my dad had caught him just in time. Which kind of turned out to be the honest truth.

"Maes?"

"Get him on the bed!"

"Damn it! Where's the switch for his oxygen?"

"It's okay, Maes."

"Breathe, sweetie. Try to breathe."

Maes lay pretty still on the bed once we got the mask on him. He had his eyes mostly closed in thin slits, staring greyly ahead like he was a vegetable. He seemed to be putting all his energy into forcing his breaths in and out of his lungs, fighting to get the oxygen in. He coughed with effort like he'd been smoking five packs a day since he was two. He stayed like that for about fifteen minutes with the three of us huddled around him, waiting for his lips to be not so blue. He coughed again.

"Two months," he said all weak and quiet. "Eight weeks or we're dead."

I combed Maes's hair with my fingers nice and soft. We'd die in eight weeks.

…

Maes seemed frustrated that he'd been in contact with the man with the yellow teeth and the sword three times now and he still knew nothing about him. He couldn't even tell us his name.

"He's their leader," Maes said hoarsely, "but I don't know him."

Maes had a strange thing for getting to know people.

…

The changes of clothes we were given were actually pretty much Amestrian style. Maes didn't really know why. He'd just given our captors our sizes. They'd picked the clothes on their own. It was weird wearing my usual sundress again. I'd gotten so used to the damn awkward Xingese robe thingy. I'd figured it would've been easier just to toss us all some t-shirts and shorts and call it good. In Central they'd already be breaking out their autumn sweaters.

…

At breakfast on the third day, the guard brought Maes a bunch of attractive stationary and some black fountain pens. Maes was to draw up some notes or something. A whole bunch of notes. Maes told us he planned to take a while on the notes since he could do those from the room. He wanted to keep near the oxygen as much as he could.

…

"So, how do you plan on faking something like alchemic research notes?" said Dad, standing over Maes like a vulture. "It's a precise science."

"Every science is precise," said Maes. "Just have to find the loopholes."

I watched his eyes dart back and forth as he remembered the circles I'd created and sketched out fragments onto the paper. Dad watched with this awed expression. Classic kid in a candy store.

"Wait," he said. "I've never seen that kind of array before. It looks like it's trying to combine transmuting liquid water with iron. Does that work?"

Maes nodded.

"I've never heard of narrowing materials down like that. Or combining circles, for that matter." Dad leaned over to see the notes better. "What kind of purpose does it serve?"

"It allows for accuracy," said Maes, eyes darting, hand drawing. "Accuracy and precision. Basic chemistry."

"So, this automail you're creating is sensitive?"

I couldn't take it. "It's metal plugging into a person's insides, Dad. Yeah, it's sensitive. Use a narrowed-down circle with your exact intentions already written into it and your focus is nice and isolated. Allows for fine-tuning and all those anatomical intricacies, am I right?"

Dad stared at me with his jaw slack. Maes met my eyes and shook his head firmly. Oh, right. People weren't supposed to know I'd made up those circles in the first place. Damn.

I cleared my throat. "At least, that's what Maes explained to me when he was making up those circles."

Dad took his attention off me. "Maes, you designed these yourself?"

"Yes." No hesitation to take credit there.

Dad smiled excitedly at the page. "I don't pretend to be very well versed in alchehestry, but with this kind of precision, doctors could perform complex procedures with a couple transmutation circles."

Maes gave me a discreet look. "That's right. Impressive, isn't it."

"It's more than impressive," said Dad. "It's genius. This is beyond the work of a master alchemist." He chuckled softly. "I see now. This is why they wanted you. If you hadn't already said otherwise, I might've believed you could give them immortality after all."

So, this was all it took for Maes to finally win my dad over? Showing off his knowledge of alchemy? Of course, it probably helped that Dad had seen some of Maes's self-sacrificing dumbassery prior.

Still, it was pretty much fantastically wonderful to hear my dad call Maes beyond a master alchemist. Mostly because he was calling me beyond a master alchemist without exactly realizing it.

…

Mom and I chatted privately in the bathroom again that night after dinner. The guards decided to stop coming in with our food three times a day now that Maes would be staying in the room for a while. They just left us a crate of cans with an opener. No more checking in.

"What's up, Mom?" I said, taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub.

Mom stayed standing, her arms folded like she meant business. "Tell me, Nina. Why are you hiding your alchemy from your father?"

Oh. That wasn't what I was wanting to talk about at all. "I haven't…I mean, I'm not hiding anything. I don't know all that much more than I left home with. Just some tricks Aunt Mei showed me."

Mom frowned. "I watched you heal Roy's head. That cut was bad and you healed it completely. You're far from a novice, Nina. I could see it in your face. I don't think I've ever seen you so sure of yourself. You didn't even flinch when he passed out. You wrote a circle into your palm in your father's blood. Without even looking! You performed the transmutation the way the Gate taught you to. You clapped your hands like you'd done it before. Like you'd done it for transmutations far surpassing that one."

I swallowed. I didn't say anything for a while, nervous I'd ruin all kinds of junk with my big mouth. I breathed. "Don't tell Dad, okay?"

"Why not?" Mom looked at me like I was dying. "You have a bigger part in all this than you're letting on. I've seen the way you and Maes look at each other like the two of you are hiding something." She uncrossed her arms to put her hand on my head. "They came for you first. The Supremists asked you for immortality before Maes distracted them."

"Drop it, Mom."

"I was there when you first got out of that laboratory in Drachma. I know that they treated you like an experiment and put you through things that I wouldn't wish on a rat. I helped you change your clothes. I saw the scars before they healed into scars. I don't know what happened to you, but I know not to underestimate it."

Dang it all! "None of that matters. At this point, it would've been better if I hadn't figured it out myself, so you sure as hell should go ahead and keep yourself in the dark."

"You know you can talk to me," she said, her pretty eyes looking at me in a way that made me want to punch my own face in for making her feel so crappy.

"I know, Mom," I said. I stood and wrapped my arms around her. "The best way to keep me safe right now is to forget I ever performed alchemy in my life. Like Maes said, I'm not an alchemist. Just a hostage."

I felt Mom's breathing falter. So, it had finally clicked. She'd figured it out for sure this time. "Maes is protecting you," she said.

I nodded slow.

Her arms tightened around me. She kissed my head. "I'm so sorry, baby."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"He really does love you."

I sniffed. "Yeah."

…

Our room had no windows to see the sun going up and down, so we got used to keeping track of days and nights by Dad's watch. He hung the thing on a stuck-out bolt on the bedframe above the bottom bunk. It turned into our reference and I had to keep myself from checking it too much. Didn't want to get obsessive about it.

…

Maes didn't get out of bed on the fourth day. We worried about him, sure, but he just smiled and said everything was fine. Back before he got his automail, he used to spend a day in bed every week to recharge. Unfortunately, things had changed a bunch with his lungs since he was a kid. Almost dying when he was twelve had scarred his lungs up pretty bad and their elasticity was as good as an old swimsuit. Even with half his automail functioning and the breathing mask, he still had to rest like that.

…

I laid my knuckles real lightly on Maes's cheek, checking for a fever for the zillionth time. Maes's face smiled weak under my hand. "Not sick, dummy. Just tired. Get used to it."

"This sucks," I said.

Maes nodded.

"Seriously. I'm scared if I kiss you you'll suffocate."

Maes choked out a laugh. "Be a happy death."

It was just a joke, but the word 'death' hurt. It took all I had in me to keep from using up some souls to just heal Maes's automail right there. My fourteen remaining friends really completely were ready to save him. So freaking ready. But if those damn Supremists caught wind I had that power, they'd use me for the evilest of evil deeds. Well, I guessed I could always use some souls to heal Maes up and then the rest to get him and my parents the hell out of there. They'd find some way to get home, right?

Maes gripped my hand harder than he looked capable of. He was watching me disapprovingly like he'd heard my thoughts or something. Yeah. Last resort material. No worries just yet.

…

Maes stayed in bed for half the fifth day, but around lunch he finally made it to his feet and got himself a bath to wake himself up. Maes apparently hated baths opposed to showers, but he really had no other choice. He'd just gotten up and he couldn't stay standing for anything.

Had to admit, it was way over just weird having my dad stay with my boyfriend so he didn't drown in the tub. Flashbacks of childhood bubble-baths with yellow rubber duckies and fluffy pink towels came to mind.

…

Maes was back to the notes by the sixth day, working real hard core to make up for lost time. He wasn't sure when they'd show up wanting to gauge his progress. He figured they were looking for quantity rather than quality. They didn't know too much about alchemy, apparently, so all they liked to see was a stack of complicated looking papers. I watched Maes scribble out stuff and draw and scrap stuff that looked wrong with his eyes darting back and forth. He was just remembering all my notes and adapting them to be semi-useless and encrypted-looking for legitimacy. I probably could've really helped him out if I'd been allowed to be an alchemist anymore.

Dad just hovered over him and asked complex questions that Maes could answer but I could've answered better. Mom watched in mild amusement, well aware I was pretty much being driven crazy not being allowed to step in. Felt kind of nice having her know I was good at all this stuff even if she couldn't see me do it for her.

…

The seventh day…we ate canned peas for breakfast. Better than the beets? Ugh.

…

Maes set his mostly full can down for the third time that morning to cough into the crook of his arm. He wheezed on his breaths, staring down at the can like it was a tough enemy. Mom reached over and put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, sweetie. You need to try."

"Can't breathe when I eat," he said. "Feels like," he said, "risking my life every bite."

"Hey, I'd totally resuscitate you," I said.

Dad paled.

"Come on, Maes," I said, stuffing a spoonful in my mouth. "Canned peas are good for the soul."

"Where'd you," he said, "hear that?"

I shrugged. "Made it up just now to make you eat."

"Write it down," he said. "I like it."

…

Maes didn't eat dinner. We pressed him, but he wouldn't. I later figured out it wasn't health-related. Maes had been told his dad would be dead within a week and it had officially been a week. I didn't see him cry, but he went to the bathroom on his lonesome a few times in the evening and his eyes were raw every time he came out.

…

I spent an hour before bed that night rummaging through the crate of canned food looking for sweet corn. Found two cans and hid them under my pillow for emergencies.

* * *

REPLIES!

AuthorChick96: My youngest brother was tiny and sick at that age. I held him all the time. So cute and sad.

verry-chan: Kids tend to notice more than their parents give them credit for.

ZipTheArtsyFox: Dang! I had no clue Izumi was such a new alchemist. She's so good. I thought she was born one or something :P

Polarized Penmanship: Sparknotes is a website by Barnes and Noble that has detailed notes on a bunch of books in the education system. We used to use it all the time in HS to get the gist of books we didn't bother reading. The synopsis was basically a detailed description, chapter by chapter, that helped irresponsible students cheat.

SavFFLover: Wow, you're right! Izumi and Riza are similar in that way.

mixmax300: LOVED the Izumi quote :D

author12306: Haha, thanks. Big compliment to know I've affected my readers.

NightTimeSparkle: Wow, that's awesome! Glad you like it :)

KTrevo: I never watched 'Chance of Meatballs' all the way through. Loved your adaptation of the quote, though :P

otakgirlyy: Ha, well it's already spilling over 84 chapters. I dunno how much more people can take of this stretching on.


	85. Chapter 85: Week Two

Author's Note: Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 85: Week Two

"Nina," Maes said all croaky. He coughed quietly. "Nina, are you awake?"

"Yeah," I whispered down to him.

"Your Dad's been snoring."

He didn't say it like a complaint. Just stating out the facts.

I rolled over on my side. "Mom's sleeping like a baby."

"Do you know the time?"

"That's a dumb question."

I heard him chuckle faint. He coughed. He caught his breath.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "Can you come down?"

"Gladly." The two cans of corn stuffed under my pillow were way uncomfortable to sleep on. "My neck could use a break from this damn bed."

I climbed down the metal bedframe quietly, slinking onto the floor like a top secret mission. Maes probably didn't want my parents waking up to check on him with me. I felt my way through the pitch dark, too dark to see through sufficiently even with my eyes adjusted. I found the end of the bed Maes's head was at and ducked under the top bunk to take a seat on the edge of his mattress. I peered down at him, finding the blurry shape of his face and the humming oxygen mask so I could touch his forehead. No fever. Actually pretty cold. I masked the precaution by stroking my fingers all affectionate through his hair. "You miss your dad?"

Maes shuddered under my touch. Didn't even nod or anything. Silent.

"Sorry," I said. "I'm sorry I got you into all this. Sorry I couldn't save him."

"Not your fault," said Maes. "I'm the one who wanted," he said, "to stay in Xing another night."

"I can still be sorry, right? I'm still sorry it happened like this."

Maes nodded slow under my hand. "Got seven weeks left."

"Seven weeks," I said, "and we'll be with him."

…

First morning of the second week could have gone better.

…

I woke up to the sound of my own damn voice. Yeah, it really sucked that I was used to waking up like that. I opened my eyes to dark and a second later I was closing them from bright light. Mom had turned on the lamp in a hurry. Yippy.

"Nina, sweetie?"

"For the love of God!" I heard Dad say. "She's…"

"She's not even under the blankets with him, Roy. She was probably just afraid to sleep alone. You know how bad her nightmares have been."

"She could've stayed with one of us!"

I groaned. "Shut up. Maes can only sleep through so much."

"Oh, God." Dad sounded like he was ready to gag.

Mom whispered, "Don't worry, Roy. They haven't done anything. Nina told me they stopped at—"

"Please don't go on!" Dad shuddered. "I'm going back to bed. It's barely seven o'clock."

I felt Mom's hand on my back. "You better climb back in your own bunk. I don't want your dad to have a heart attack while he'd trying to fall asleep."

"I'll never sleep again," Dad moaned. "Never."

He conked out pretty quick after that.

Maes never even flinched.

…

Talked to the friends inside me during my shower. They wanted to blow off the risks and save Maes. I told them to shut the hell up.

…

Maes stayed in bed past lunch and I got worried he was depressed over his dad or something, lost the will to live.

…

I sat on the bed next to him. Dad stood close. He'd been inspired to monitor my activity with Maes since the incident that morning.

"Maes, you sort of need to eat," I said. "You're losing weight."

Maes stayed curled up facing the wall.

I sighed. "Please, don't be difficult."

His voice came out really strained, barely loud enough to make out without leaning to hear him. "Think it's overcast outside."

…

Storm-sickness.

…

I sat on that bed with Maes for three stinking hours, waiting for whatever bad weather outside to blow over. Maes said he didn't feel bad enough for it to even be raining. Apparently all it took to send him writhing in his current condition were a couple unfortunate storm clouds.

"Nina, what's going on?" said Dad. "Is he sick? Let me go get Mom."

"Chill, Dad," I said. "It's storm-sickness. People with automail get it during cruddy weather. You know, like how old people's joints ache before rain? Anyway, it's way worse for people who went through major bodily trauma. Automail insides counts as major bodily trauma."

"What can we do?"

Maes groaned. "Change the weather."

…

That whole room was plain white. I dreamed in white and then I spent my day awake in stark freaking white. I went to the bathroom sometimes and just locked myself in with the lights off for a few minutes. Just a few.

…

Second day of the second week meant it was Maes's second day fatherless. He'd slept off the storm sickness by then, so I got him to scarf down half a can of salmon meat. That stuff was calorific. I figured it'd fasten some decent meat on his bones.

"You've gotten skinny," he said, "like me, you know?"

Lies. Maybe I'd lost a little weight, but not like him. "It's only because you have me running around all the time trying to keep you from starving yourself to death." Kind of true.

Maes smiled pearly and said, "I should stop that." He coughed and stuck another forkful of nasty canned food in his face for me.

…

Third day Supremists decided to get impatient and came looking for a sneak preview.

Took the notes.

Came back an hour later.

Took Maes this time.

…

Maes said, "See you later."

…

I cuddled in Mom's arms. Dang, she felt good. I hadn't taken the time to let my mom hold me in forever. Like a warm nest hugging me, kissing my hair. Yeah. This was what I'd needed. What I'd completely wanted for a long time.

"He'll be back, Nina," she said with her hand on my hair.

"They looked so not satisfied in the slightest," I said. "That's just the guards. What about the freaking higher-ups? That yellow-teethed creep did not seem the reasonable type. Seriously, what if he figured it out already? Maybe they know more about this alchemy crap than Maes thought. Maybe they bugged our room and they know everything!"

Dad came over and patted my back. "Your mom and I checked the room three times since we got here. No hidden surveillance."

Oh, yay. He said it like it made everything better all the sudden.

"Hell," I said softly, "at least he'll be out of his misery. Soon enough, we will too. At least there's that."

"Young lady!" said Mom, pulling away from me. "Don't even think like that."

I looked at her kind of weirded-out. "Did you just call me, 'young lady'?"

"She's right, Nina," said Dad. He leaned to meet my eyes with super sincerity. "There's always something worth living for."

"Yeah," I said. Did that mean there was always something for dying for, too?

…

My parents were pretty dang optimistic, what with being experienced soldiers and knowing the whole drill with hostages and prisoners and stuff. But after about five hours without any sign of Maes, they got a little worried. Even more worried after the sixth hour.

…

"Dad, pick him up!"

"I can't! He stops breathing every time I touch him."

"Dammit, Roy! The mask doesn't reach that far. He needs to be moved."

"So help me Dad, I will drag him to his bed myself and then tongue-kiss him in front of you!"

…

The first thing Dad said after he got Maes on his bed and we settled him with the oxygen mask was, "He's too light."

"Yeah, not exactly our biggest issue right now, Daddy," I said, poking under Maes's jaw for a pulse. Poor guy coughed.

"Sure," said Dad, "but long term issues eventually turn into urgent ones. He's alright now, but at his current bodyweight, I'm not sure how many more times he can afford to get sick like this."

I watched Maes's throat move as he wheezed in and out. Shallow, exhausted breaths. I didn't look up from him. "Really, not the time, Dad. Talk to Mom over there or something."

We were all about to turn in when Maes woke up. Like, I had my frothy toothbrush in my mouth. I heard Mom calling my name from the room and I knew the tone meant business. I freaking sprinted.

"Is he awake?" I said, bounding to the bed. Nearly tripped over that dang oxygen tank.

Maes smiled up at me so small I wouldn't have known he was trying to smile if I hadn't already memorized the usual lines his face made. Made me want to cry, just cry like a baby. Crying seemed to make plenty of people feel better, like draining out the bad day. I wouldn't have known.

"What, are you stupid?" I said, shoving my way between my parents to get to him. I grabbed his chilled hand. Cold fingers meant bad circulation, last I'd checked. "Who freaking smiles after two-thirds suffocating and waking up in a white dungeon? Seriously, who does that?"

Maes smiled a little bigger and his lips mouthed, "Me."

"I don't get it," Dad said to mom. "He wasn't smiling, was he?"

Mom shrugged a shoulder. "Inside joke."

Maes and I kept our eyes on each other. He couldn't really talk, so I read his expression and it said, 'No hope, but not the end yet.'

"Still waiting to die?" I said.

His head managed one nod. "Really tired."

"Yeah, don't talk. You were gone more or less all day."

"Notes," he said. "Not," he said, "enough." He coughed harder than his body was ready for. He panted heavy, regaining himself enough to say, "They want more this time."

…

Stayed up with Maes practically all night. Kept trying to sleep, but found myself peeking over the edge of my bunk every five minutes to listen for breathing. Just had to know he was still alive.

…

I decided asparagus was my least favourite canned vegetable.

…

Maes spent the whole fourth day in bed. He barely talked, but he said some stuff in the evening. Apparently he'd had to wait his turn to see the bigshots most of those seven hours he was gone, what Mom called an indirect form of torture. At the end of it, he'd been escorted in to see the leader with the yellow smile. Mister yellow-teeth said he'd expected a heck of a lot more progress after giving Maes over a week to work on the notes. He sent Maes back to the room demanding tons more.

Maes's original intent had been to draw out the note-taking process so he could stay at the room with his oxygen. Now he was paying the price for trying to work the system.

"Equivalent exchange," he said, "is a bitch."

…

The fifth day was Maes's day to catch up. He sat up in bed and drew out notes like nothing else. I hadn't realized he could write as fast as he thought. Though, I really had no way of knowing just how fast Maes thought.

…

Maes never really bothered to inform us that oxygen tanks didn't last for months. He'd been using the mask for such long intervals that we soon found out the hard way. I bolted up to the horrific noise of Maes choking in his sleep. Took me and my parents a full half-hour to get a new tank out of the closet and figure out how to hook it up to the machine. Maes didn't die. Sadly, that was a legit accomplishment.

…

"Use me!"

"Shut up, Nine."

…

Maes really wanted a bath by the sixth day. Like, he was feeling gross. All those days of feeling sick and sweating in the same clothes had made his skin tight and clammy. Mom suggested one of those sponge-baths that old people get at nursing homes. Maes shuddered and said he'd had enough of those to last him six lifetimes. We agreed to let him stray from his oxygen for a bath if he ate three cans of tuna and a can of beets. We didn't think he'd actually do it.

"Compliments," he said, "of young male metabolism."

Dad sighed. "Good times."

…

Oranges were my least favourite canned fruit. Maybe grapes. No. Oranges.

…

"God!" Dad cried from behind the bathroom door.

Did I even want to know?

"It's nothing," said Maes. The water for the tub squeaked on.

"Where did that come from?" Dad was sounding way not composed. Apparently, it wasn't nothing.

"Nowhere," said Maes.

"Bruises like those don't come from nowhere. Your automail didn't do that, Maes."

Mom was listening at the door with me, now. She squeezed my hand.

"Just my shoulder," said Maes. He coughed. "Nothing important."

"They run all the way down your back, kid."

I could hear Maes's breaths getting shorter. "Doesn't hurt much," he said, "anymore."

"Was it a guard?" Dad asked. "Did a guard do this to you, or was it their leader? Are they trying to get information out of you, Maes?"

There was a pause. Silence. Squeak of a knob turning the water off.

"Supremists get angry," said Maes, "when they see Amestrians." Maes coughed. "Amestris helped Ling become emperor."

"So, they hurt you."

"Just a guard," said Maes, "blowing off steam."

Dad sighed real frustrated. "Maes, that doesn't look good."

"I'm fine."

"And it's three days old!"

"What do you suggest I do?" Maes said. "Tell them to use their words next time?"

The outburst more or less took its toll. Maes choked on a breath and I heard my dad talking more on the comforting side as Maes fell into a coughing fit. Dad said, "Do you need to get back on the machine?"

Maes caught his breath enough to say, "Please, don't tell her."

…

I watched the way Maes was sleeping on his side, thought about how he'd been laying like that a lot lately. He used to sleep mostly on his back. Guessed that would have been more painful if his back was really beat up.

…

I thought about eating a can of Maes's corn. Maybe just a little.

…

On the seventh day, I wrote nine front-back pages of notes in the dark before everyone got up. I could draw the circles without looking, like I'd done in Aunt Mei's carpet. I stuffed them in with Maes's stack of notes while he was still asleep. I snuck them out before lunch while he wasn't looking and locked myself in the bathroom with the lights off. I ignited my nine front-back pages and flushed the ashes down the toilet.

* * *

REPLIES!

KTrevo: I'd say 'cabin fever' is a go.

mixmax300: It does help that Riza was awake when Nina performed alchemy in front of her. Roy...not so lucky.

Polarized Penmanship: Ha! I LOVE puns!

author12306: Sorry. Can't say that.

pitstop96: yes...:D

ZipTheArtsyFox: Aw, Funimation took the OVA down before I got to view it :(

QueenBeatsAll: Nina has a way with words.

verry-chan: Every parent wants their kid to do better than them in life. I think.

SavFFLover: I do like a nice perfect hundred...

Juliana Black Lichtler: I can see Roy making it on his own halfway and then dying because he forgot how to feed himself.

Hawkstang: I'm okay with canned green beans.

Harryswoman: Author equals Flame Legacy Gawd.


	86. Chapter 86: Cornbread Casserole

Author's Note: I'm officially sick. Quite sick. Notice how I blatantly skipped a post.

My explanation: Yeah, I kind of have a habit of accidentally basing all my characters a little off myself. Every time. Maes—not exactly an exception. For example, as a girl allergic to gluten, I do love corn-substitutes. Another example it that my body hates me (Not as bad as him. I'm not dying or anything.)

I'm telling you this because: **I might not be posting for the next week.** It's going to go downhill before it goes uphill, so I have no idea. I've tried to write for real for two days and it hasn't worked out.

What is this madness?: _This isn't really a chapter. Not even an OVA._ It's Maes's recipe for cornbread casserole so I have an excuse to post this message to you. Just to say that I'm not in fact dead and I will be posting again (probably) within a week. Or before. I don't know.

Okay! See you after my break.

Obviously, no replies to comments today :(

* * *

Chapter 86: Interlude- **Maes Elric's Favorite Cornbread Casserole**

Ingredients:

**1 pound ground meat** (I like beef. Sophie likes ground bison. Nina wants to try sheep casserole.)

**1 large onion, chopped** (As the onion is one of the world's oldest cultivated plants, Van Hohenhiem probably enjoyed the onion during his youth in Xerxes.)

**2 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed** (Use extra if you're feeding Maes. Garlic improves lung function and boosts the immune system.)

**1 15 ounce can of tomatoes** (Riza goes easy on the tomatoes because they give Roy heartburn.)

**1 can of corn, drained** (Maes would probably use five cans, but that's him.)

**1 can kidney beans, drained** (Winry cries when she sees kidney beans because they remind her of Ed's damaged organs; "That was a cheap joke, Author. Seriously.")

**Whatever the heck seasonings you have around** (I use cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt/pepper, that kind of junk. Get creative. **Use a taco seasoning pack if you want**.)

**1 package of your choice of cornbread mix** (I go with gluten-free, but that's me. Maes likes his with sweet corn stirred in with the batter. Don't recommend it unless it's for his birthday or something.)

Instructions:

_Brown the meat_ with whatever the heck _seasonings_ you have around. Dump that into a _casserole dish_ stirred up with _everything but the cornbread mix_. _Make the mix_ by the instructions on the box then _spread the stuff on top_ of your creation. Bake the thing at _350 degrees F_ for _about half an hour, give or take_.

**Try to go with the baking time on your box-mix.** Honestly, you more or less know your oven better than I do. Just check the casserole every once in a while to make sure you haven't cremated it. Roy Mustang might have bad flashbacks if you serve him burnt-up meat. Don't eat the thing premature, either. Maes has strong feelings about things coming out of the oven premature. "Jeez, Author. That was bad even coming from you."

Anyway, _let it cool_ a little so you don't scald your tongue off. Invite Maes over for corn-fest dinner. Serve with a tall glass of whole milk and a crazy straw.

"You're sadistic, you know that?"

Note: If you screw the casserole up, there's always burnt toast.

"Ha. Ha."

ENJOY!

My little sister begged me to say the following to my readers… **"If you have the guts to make this recipe, take a picture of it (on its own, with you, Fullmetal paraphernalia, your cat, don't really care) and send it to me through the email on my profile. I'll put it at the end of my 'Flame Legacy' trailer or something."**

Honestly, I don't bet on anyone doing that, but it would make my sister's day.

"Of course they'll do that! Who wouldn't want to spend their summer vacation baking and taking a picture of cornbread casserole?"

...Maes, if you weren't so cute, you'd be creepy.


	87. Chapter 87: They Hid the Damn Calendar

Author's Note: At last! I'm better, I'm posting, we're back in the game. Except I'm on vacation in my hometown right now and summer's getting hectic, so I probably won't be keeping to a rigid daily-post schedule from here to the end. These are the most exciting chapters. I want to make them good and long and that takes a little extra time. So there.

* * *

Chapter 87: They Hid the Damn Calendar

Another tank of oxygen. He was using it almost all the time now. Silence sounded like the white hum of the machine. That damn white noise. I slept in white noise. Silence was too silent when the machine went off changing canisters.

…

Mom tallied on a piece of paper. She more or less made a calendar of it so it wouldn't look like the wall of a prison with marks for each day. That would've been freaking depressing at its finest. She crossed out the third day of the third week on her calendar. I explained the rule of thirds from my art classes in Central. I told my Dad, "It's all about composition. What's pleasing to the human eye, get me?"

It was the most interesting conversation of the day.

…

Mom looked at me with her nose wrinkled a little, the way she looked at me when she was glad it was impossible I'd inherited whatever it was from her. "I thought you didn't like canned asparagus."

I picked up another slimy green piece and slurped it through my lips. "I'm trying to stimulate my brain," I said. "I'm getting so bored in this room. I feel like I'll get full-blown nutsy before the week's up."

"So…you're eating canned asparagus?"

I nodded, taking out another shoot. I bit it. So freaking squishy on the tongue.

"I guess we're all feeling a little cramped," said Mom. "We've spent close to a month in this room."

I put the can down. Wiped the residue from my fingers onto my dress. "A month?" I looked at her. "Yeah, I spent the first three years of my life locked in a room like this one. I don't want to be here for another three minutes."

Mom blinked. "How do you know about those three years?"

She wasn't saying it accusing or mean or whatever. She actually sounded kind of guilty. I shrank a little. "I figured out some stuff while I was traveling. I recalled junk."

It was like I'd opened a brand flipping new door. Mom got this depth to her look and she put her hand on my shoulder just for the contact. "Nina, what exactly have you been able to remember?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "Why don't you tell me?" Came off a little bitter.

Mom stopped conversing for a moment then she took her hand off my shoulder and stood. "Alright, but I think we'd better include your father."

Wait, seriously? I sucked my lip, just a little sceptical. "What, we trading secrets now?"

"What, are you actually offering to open up to us?" Mom smiled just a little devious. "Let me call your dad over. Poor Maes is probably having trouble writing those notes with Roy breathing over his shoulder."

"No, Mom, let's head over there." I ditched the nasty asparagus. "Maes can take a break from the damn notes. I need him with me."

…

"So…you remembered? Just like that?"

Oh, they definitely were not buying it. I nodded. "Yeah, well, Aunt Mei was showing me some alchehestry or whatever and I guess it just triggered stuff, you know?"

Dad raised his eyebrows. "You watched a transmutation and it brought back your entire experience with the laboratory?"

It sounded farfetched when he said it. Probably because I really was making the whole thing up. "Kind of remembered all at once. The researchers in charge of me kept me thirsty so they could bribe me into doing stuff with water, used dehydration as a punishment. Kept me in this white room all naked and hungry and junk. This one doc in particular hated my guts. Beat me up every time I didn't come out right in an experiment. Could tell you which scars came from him, but I doubt you could take it. Seriously, I was trash. You're absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. Thank you so much for making me your kid. I mean, you have no idea."

Mom hugged me all desperately affectionate and Dad swung his branch of an arm around the both of us. He kissed my head. Mom kissed my cheek, comforting me. Maes was listening in from his bed across from where we were seated on my dad's. He met my eyes from his reclined position and nodded all sweet because he got how easily I'd thrown my parents off being suspicious of me. He was getting how I knew how to handle them, how I'd had major experience throwing them off.

"I'm so sorry, baby," said Dad. Dang. He was calling me, 'baby.' I half wondered if he was saying sorry because he was feeling all irrationally responsible for all that had happened to me.

"So completely not your fault, Daddy." I leaned my ear on his shoulder. "You freaking saved me."

"I know," he said. Said it like he still thought his role in the grand scheme was nothing special. "I know, baby. Dads just like to think they can protect their little girls from everything. I wish I could've protected you from that, the memory of it."

Mom stroked my hand. "It must have been unspeakably painful for you to remember. Whatever it is you still won't tell us."

"Yeah," said Dad. "I'm afraid to guess what you're hiding if you're so willing to open up to us about the abuse you suffered just to distract us from it…"

I stepped out of their hugs. "You can shut up! The plan was for you to tell me what you knew, not the other way around. I was freaking humouring you!"

I caught a choking, cackling sound from Maes's bunk and I looked over to see him with his head laid back and his face red from laughing too hard. He shifted his eyes to look at us and laughed harder. "Oh, God!" He coughed. "She thought she had you two," he said, "figured out."

"Shut your dang mouth, Maes," I said. "'Here lies Maes Elric: laughed himself to death over his own joke.' Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?"

He grinned. "Better than," he said, "milk poisoning."

I glared. "Try corn overdose."

Maes shook his head sadly. "Corn deficiency," he said, "at this point."

…

Mom and Dad didn't tell me anything worth hearing. All this junk that I already knew or junk that was completely irrelevant. I'd been left at their door when I was three by a lab researcher with a conscience. Drachma's goons had come after me. My parents had fled with me to Central and we'd been a happy family ever since. For the most part. Basic stuff.

One thing my mom said sparked my interest, though. She and my dad were talking about our dicey escape to Central and she got this bothered look all the sudden. Said, "We had no way of knowing the full extent of the Gate's effects on you."

That was all she said, but she said it like even without knowing the full extent, my parents had still had a decent idea of it.

That night, Maes whispered to me, "They're still protecting you."

"Duh," I replied. "Secretive morons. They don't know a damn thing."

It scared me that they thought they did, because my parents weren't morons. I didn't want it to turn out that they did know a damn thing. Something I didn't know about yet. Something worth protecting me from. I'd had enough of that.

I didn't ask them about it again. I decided I'd rather just die ignorant.

…

Maes was sick again. Not too sick, but anything was enough to cripple him at this point. Mom did her job as the mother figure in the room and nursed him all soothing and gentle. I'd gotten plenty sick as a little kid. She knew the drill.

"Labs aren't exactly the best places to build up decent immune systems," I told Maes. "Having a dog-ill kid is one thing my mom knows plenty how to handle."

Maes coughed. "Mine too."

…

Dad hid my mom's drawn-up calendar. Said it wasn't good for me how much I'd been checking it over and over every day. Just making sure I hadn't gotten it wrong. Five days seemed too long for Maes to still be sick.

…

"Nina?" said Maes.

I held his hand. "Right here, Maes."

"Everything's dark."

"Try opening your eyes."

Maes looked up at me. His eyes got squinty like the room was too bright. Hell, of course it was too bright. The room was white. What did light bounce off best? White!

"Can see now," he said.

…

Mom and Dad whispered about it being too long. The guards should've come for Maes by now expecting more notes. We were running low on canned food and we were down to our last oxygen tank. Maes was ploughing through it fast. It would be gone in a day. What then? He was barely breathing as it was. I heard them talk about three weeks. What about three weeks?

Apparently I'd lost track of time without my mom's calendar to check every ten minutes. We were on our fifth week. Can you say, 'Disorienting, much?' They wouldn't give the calendar back.

…

I climbed over Maes to get to the side of the bed against the wall and curled up next to him on top of his cozy bunched comforter. It was a twin bed, but there was plenty of room for the both of us. I ignored my Dad. He knew not to say anything. Maes turned his sweaty face to me. The oxygen mask slid slightly down his nose. I set it straight for him. He coughed into it, making the glass go all foggy with his breath.

"Hey," I said.

He smiled weakly with his lips slackly parted, not even making the effort to curl them into a grin or close them into an even curve.

I pressed my forehead against his shoulder. "I'm losing it. Big time."

He took a breath. "I know." He took another breath. "It's cute."

"Really? Doesn't feel cute."

"You lose it," he said, "all the time. Damn crazy girl."

I smiled to myself. "Guess so."

"Still love you," he said, "if you go batty."

"Love you, too." I held his arm. Freaking feverish.

"Always be my Nina," he said. "Don't take it lightly. You're my…" He choked. His chest shuddered and he heaved into rough coughs.

I rubbed his arm. "No more talking."

His eyes watered from the strain. He swallowed and nodded.

"I want to do it," I said. I hugged his arm because his breathing was too weak for me to hug his body. "I really think I should."

Maes looked at me sternly and shook his head.

"You'll die."

He closed his eyes. He nodded.

I got closer to his ear and lowered my volume. "If I don't start using souls on you, you'll be dead tomorrow."

He peeled open his eyes and looked at me with a glassy stare. He sighed and he nodded.

I glared. "You know, I've been giving it a lot of thought. The outcomes of all this mess. Three different ways we can handle it, three different end results. The first was wait out the full eight weeks and die as a family at the end, good and tidy. The second seems to be let Maes die of suffocation tomorrow and let me and my parents get executed the moment the guards find you dead. The third…" I sucked my lip. He was watching me way more alert than before. I had his undivided attention. "The third is…I use the life-forces of some of my friends to get you back on your feet and then I use up the rest of the souls getting you and my parents out of this place and on your way back to civilization."

Maes flexed his jaw tensely, eyes fixed on me. He coughed in his throat and slowly shook his head.

"Three moves to make," I said. "All of them end with me dead. One of them ends with you and my parents alive and well."

Maes shook his head.

"I want to die someplace that doesn't look like a lab," I said. "I'd rather keel in a junkyard than this room."

Maes shook his head.

"If I use myself up, the Supremists can't use me for evil or whatever. It's the perfect plan. I'll just clap my hands, let my friends work their magic on you, and presto. Me and Nine were talking about it a while ago. I've gotten confused over the days. But, yeah. I think I might've figured out a way to kind of stunt life-forces, you know? Like, sort of block people's flow for a while so they get sleepy and can't do anything."

Maes took an uneven breath and shook his head.

"No, but listen," I said. I hushed my tone again. I'd almost gotten too loud. "It's a simple concept, right? Souls transfer by physical contact, right? That's all. So, say a guard comes for you one day. I find a way to make contact with him, leak a soul into his system without him realizing it. The soul can wait there until the time is apparently right, then it can create a kink in the guy's life-force and incapacitate him for a while. Here's the cool part, though. If anyone makes physical contact with the incapacitated guy, the soul inside him will transfer into the person touching him and then he'll be incapacitated too. Nine and I worked it out. I've got fourteen souls left, plus mine. I'd have to use up a few on you to get you healthy, so that's twelve souls with me included. If I can find a way to transfer all those twelve, we could spread through every Supremist within range of you. You and my parents could get out of here easy. And forget about finding your way home. Just look at the stars or something. I know you can do it."

"No," Maes croaked. He shook his head. "No."

I frowned. "It's a good plan, Maes. I swear."

He nodded. "It is."

"Then what's the issue here?" I said. "Think about my parents for example, huh? My dad's the freaking Fuhrer of Amestris. If he dies here, Olivier flipping Armstrong will be in charge of Amestris for good with her whole 'survival of the fittest' method. She'll dominate our country with an iron fist until she's assassinated for being a heinous bitch. I don't want that for my friends back home."

Maes didn't answer. Just looked dejected and really cold-sweat sick.

"Think about Sophie," I said. "She just lost her daddy. I don't want her to lose her big bro as well. Having you around was the only thing that kept her thinking she'd make it without Uncle Ed. You know I'm right. You're so freaking like him, Maes. She needs you alive. So does Aunt Winry. Everyone does. I mean, he sacrificed himself to save you when you were a kid, right? So, wouldn't it be ungrateful to let yourself die because you were too stubborn to let me save you?"

He nodded. "You're right." He coughed. "Don't care. Can't lose you too."

I stared at him, his still face with the subtle lines of pain around his mouth, the creases of torment around his cloudy eyes. He'd been too weak by far to get a good bath in days. We'd changed his shirt a couple times for him, but it really hurt him to move his body around and raise his arms with how his automail had bruised and cut his chest up. His shirt was glued to his skin with hours of sweat and it clung to his lopsided automail enough for me to see the contours of it breathing crunchily, dang awful. His pretty gold hair looked kind of dull and stiff, matted all over from being pressed into a pillow for days, tossed and turned on through aching nights. Poor boo.

"Of all the times you could've picked to be selfish," I said, "you had to pick today?"

He smiled. "Cashing in while I can."

I sniffed. "You jerk. I love you so much."

I picked myself up onto my hands and knees and tucked the oxygen mask off Maes's mouth just enough for me to get to his lips. I hovered over him and kissed him so soft he didn't even have the option to try to kiss me back. I had to leave his mouth loose so he could keep breathing. I drew away. I replaced the mask. Maes coughed then took some long, replenishing breaths.

"You okay?" I asked.

Maes smirked. "Worth it." He coughed. "Thanks, Nina."

I heard my mom whisper loud from across the room, "Your daughter is a grown woman. It had to happen eventually, Roy. Don't be a child."

Maes chuckled. "So worth it."

…

I decided it was time to unearth the corn from under my pillow. A last supper kind of deal. My parents looked at me like I really had lost it when they saw me bring the two cans down from my bunk. Maes wrinkled up his brow as he watched me open one. "Where'd you," he said, "find that?"

"Been hording them under my pillow since our first week here in case you refused to eat again."

Maes smiled weak. "Calculating as your dad."

…

Maes started aching again. He said it wasn't storm sickness, just the fever. Didn't know if that was a good thing. He said he was tired. He said he'd be relieved not to be in pain anymore. He'd been in pain all his life. He wanted to know what it felt like not to be. I said it wasn't that great. Plenty of emotional stuff to hurt a person even without the physical.

…

We didn't turn out the light that night. Mom and Dad ended up sitting at the edge of Maes's bed. I stayed curled up next to him. Maes did his best to keep his eyes open. There was no telling if he'd ever open them again if he fell asleep this time. He knew that.

"Would've liked," he said, "to get a shower."

"That's your dying wish?" I said. "A freaking shower?"

He coughed. "Got others," he said, "but your dad's here."

I laughed a little as my dad's posture tightened. He wasn't mad at Maes anymore, though. He hadn't been 'super-protective Father' in a while. He still didn't like the idea of his little girl growing up and having a boyfriend, but he pretty much did like Maes. I'd seen the way my dad had been looking lately, too. When he'd catch a glance over at Maes and whatever expression had been on his face would just turn to hollow stone. He didn't want Maes to die at all. He'd already had to bury Maes-number-one.

"Maes," said Mom, "is there anything we can do for you? Do you need another blanket?" He already had everyone's comforter but mine.

Maes closed his eyes and shook his head. He kept his eyes rested closed and I nudged him a couple times. "Wake up, silly. Not yet, okay?"

Maes peeled his eyes open and focused them on me sluggishly. He coughed with his mouth pressed closed to muffle the sound, but it came out pretty dang wheezy. He took a deep breath and coughed again. If this was how he was on oxygen, how long would it take him to suffocate once the oxygen ran dry?

…

Dad had just told me his watch said past midnight when Maes's throat got dry from gasping through his mouth too much and he asked for water. Mom was already digging through the last of our cans for any canned fruit with vitamin-C in it; citrus worked against lung infections and Mom was still acting like Maes was saveable. I bounded up to get some water from the tap. Maes's throat was so parched that he gagged at the end of every coughing fit.

I got back and I caught my dad talking hushed right next to Maes on Maes's bunk.

"I'm sorry it happened this way, kid," Dad said softly. "Wish I could've gotten you to your dad in time. Guess I messed that up."

"I'll see him soon," said Maes faintly.

I caught a glimpse from where I stood of my dad's arm coming down, like he was petting Maes's head.

"I'm glad it was you," he said really gentle. Dang. Dad usually only got sweet and paternal with me. He hated other peoples' kids for the most part. But dad leaned back on the bedpost and I got a better look at his expression. How he'd looked at me when he used to help me get dressed and he'd see my scarred up skin. "I didn't think I'd ever be able to stand the jerk who stole my daughter from me, but you proved me wrong. I'm glad it was you." Dad smirked. "Even if it does look like she's dating a taller version of Fullmetal."

Maes chuckled hoarse. "He knew you'd hate," he coughed, "that."

"He was a good man," said Dad. "Better than me at least half the time. Embarrassing considering he was just a kid most of the time we knew each other. Guess some people are just born good men."

"I'll tell him," said Maes, "you said that."

Dad laughed. "Don't expect me to own up to it."

"He'll know," said Maes. "You were his friend." Maes coughed a couple times. "Dad's choosey with friends."

"Guess that makes two of us," said Dad.

"He liked you," said Maes. "You were a safe person." Maes took a tight breath. "Dad hardly ever felt safe," Maes said, "when he was growing up. Didn't have a dad or a big brother or a," he coughed, "friend. He had you. Only person I ever heard him talk about like he looked up to them." Maes breathed slow and wheezy. He let out a cough and said, "Think he secretly wanted to see you one last time."

"So many misunderstandings," said Dad. "I wouldn't have known what to say to him if we had met again."

"You'd tell him," said Maes, "you stood corrected. He actually was a good man." Maes coughed into a laugh. "He'd pretend he wasn't affected hearing it from you." He coughed again, laughing harder. "Like a kid getting a toy he thinks he's too old for."

"Hey, hey, hey," said Dad. His arm shifted like he was petting Maes's head again. "Try not to laugh yourself to death, kiddo. Nina would kill me."

Maes caught his breath in a pant. He breathed slow. Swallowed. "Dad used to call me 'kiddo.'" I could hear the smile in Maes's voice, the grateful one. "Glad you're with me, Uncle Roy."

I clamped my teeth together and grit them hard, biting back a really bad urge to cry. It would look just plain bad for me to get back to the guys crying over something I wasn't meant to hear.

"Finally!" said Mom. Her slim figure got up off the floor at the other edge of the room and she bounded over with a can of pineapple in her fist. So, she'd finally found some vitamin-C. She got over to the bed and caught me lurking outside the bathroom with Maes's glass of tap-water. "Nina, what are you standing around for?"

"Getting Maes water."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You remember what we agreed about spending all that time locked in the dark, sweetheart. If you want the lights off, you just ask me or Dad to turn off the lamp in the main room for a while. No more shutting yourself up in the bathroom."

"Yeah, okay. I'll remember."

Mom stepped in front of the bunk to where my dad was sitting next to Maes and I followed with the water. Sure enough, Dad hand his hand cupped over Maes's fever-flushed forehead like a dad on sick-duty. Maes had his eyes shut, breathing like he was catching his breath from talking too much. Dad had this look on his face like he wasn't feeling well, like he had something on his mind that was making him feel sick. My sentiments exactly.

"I found pineapple," said Mom, holding up the can. "The vitamin-C should help him fight this."

The room was quiet for a while as we all waited to see if Maes was going to respond. After a while, he opened his eyes to none of us specifically and shook his head. I ground my teeth as my eyes got swollen with heated tears. Dad patted Maes's head. "Just water, Riza. The kid's thirsty. Let's try to make him comfortable."

I shoved the glass at my mom. "Yeah, make him comfortable." I passed it off to her and got on the bed, climbing over my dad and lying next to Maes in my usual spot. "You know, you are one suckish boyfriend. What kind of jerk gets a girl to fall in love with him then gets sick and dies three months later?"

Maes smiled faint at me. "What kind of jerk gets a guy to fall in love with her," he said, "when the guy had a life expectancy to begin with?"

I clung to his arm. "I hate you."

He leaned his sweaty self nearer. "I love you too."

"Son of a bitch."

He just laid there, eyes closed, huddled against me, warm and damp like he was soaked in fresh blood. I craned my neck to kiss his face. Damn idiot.

…

Could I suck up Maes's soul and bond it to my body with the rest of my life-force as soon as his body gave out? Then I could find a suit of armour somewhere and bond him to that and then I could make a homunculus-dummy later when I had time and put his soul into that as a more permanent host. Yeah, that could work. That could work.

…

Maes went ahead and told us just before breakfast that he could feel less oxygen coming through his mask. He didn't say much more than that. He'd pulled an all-nighter to say a long goodbye to us. He was tired and sick and just waiting for it to be over.

…

"Maes?" I whispered.

"Hm?"

"Think you'll go to heaven?"

"Hope so," he said. "Where Dad'll be."

I cuddled his arm. "Then that's where I'd better go."

"Wouldn't worry," he said, "about that."

…

"Twenty-one! Come on and use me!"

"I'm getting to it."

…

Maes looked up at me with his watery bloodshot eyes. His lips were bluer than I'd ever seen them. Really noticeable now. He smiled with them. Oh, dear God. He was smiling.

"Love," he said, "you."

"You're a dumbass," I said, squeezing his cold hand.

He let his eyes shut and nodded once. He coughed weakly. "Can take off," he said, "the mask now."

…

I could hear every tight breath going in and out of his chest. Me and my parents were all absolutely quiet, just huddling around listening to Maes breathe.

"Hey, Dad?" I'd already asked this question a couple times. "You're the Flame Alchemist. You can transmute the right conditions for fire, so you know how to change the concentration of oxygen in the air, right?"

"Yes," said Dad quietly, repeating himself from earlier. "But it's risky. If I was to try it at this point…"

"Falling asleep," said Maes. He held my hand just a little tighter.

"Just keep breathing, Maes," said Mom. "You've made it through worse than this."

Maes coughed and nodded.

Dad patted his shoulder. "You've been a real trooper."

Maes opened his eyes in little slits and smiled barely enough to notice. I let go of his hand. "Well, screw this." I sat up on the bed. "I've had enough self-sacrificing dumbasses in my life."

Maes's slits-for-eyes widened up at me. He gasped shallow as I towered over him and swung my arms out to clap. "No," he choked.

"Back away from my boyfriend, guys." I smacked my hands together. "This is how Subject Twenty-one gets things done."

* * *

REPLIES!

Harryswoman: Thanks for the sentiment :)

bakacoconut69: You don't control your meals?! Sux. I have cravings like a pregnant lady, so I cook all kinds of weird junk. People look at my grocery cart like I'm nuts.

mixmax300: I find burnt toast is easier to prepare than golden-brown toast. Personal experience.

SiilverLit: Ever try corn cakes? Pancakes made from cornbread? Absolute fluffy bites of heaven.

singerklainer333: My sister saw how many people were thinking about making it and she got so excited. Adorable.

KTrevo: Haha! Clever. Yep, horrific. I actually was born a little on the premature side myself, so the 'sick' thing's kind of just my body being dumb. No serious germs or viruses. I'm good now.

verry-chan: Corn is lovely and starchy and has very little nutritional benefits.

pitstop96: What kind of camp? I always wanted to go to camp, but it never really worked out when I was a kiddo. Then I lost interest :P

NightTimeSparkle: Ha! If it was all that deformed and sketchy, it would probably be Maes's favorite pick, knowing him.

ThisOne: Hahaha! Neat goal :D

Hawkstang: Aw, I do feel special. Thanks for making an exception ;D

SavFFLover: Corn is in season this time of year. It's medicinal to the soul.

author12306: Haha, thanks. It's actually pretty good. My mom kind of made it up after seeing some recipes from friends.

PhantomhiveHost: I got happy when you wrote that recipe counted as an OVA. Nina should be on the cooking channel :P

Nikkome Konno: Getting readers attached to characters is a big deal for a writer :D

Awsome anon: Nina feels the same way.

maana999: ...Hm.


	88. Chapter 88: Nine

Author's Note: Quite short, but I'm typing in the back of a moving vehicle in the middle of the dark night, so I get away with it. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 88: Nine

Maes gripped my wrists way too hard for his body's strength. "Get off, Nina!"

I ignored his annoying protests and hysterical cough-attacking. He could just suck it up. I ground the bases of my palms into his chest so hard he retched and his hands slackened on my wrists. I'd managed to force his shirt up for flesh-to-flesh contact and his skin was sticky as heck with sweat and blood fresh from his broken automail.

"You're hurting him!"

"Roy, leave her. She knows what she's doing."

Maes's flushed body squirmed and I just pushed him down and yelled, "Nine, go!"

"Like hell she knows what she's doing!"

"Leave her alone, Roy!"

Nine pressed against the inside of my fingertips. I released her into Maes's mess of a life-flow. "Ow!" she said. "No kidding," I squeaked. Maes's was being uncooperative, body and soul. His current was sharp like a chainsaw made of needles. Complete self-defense mode. He tossed me and Nine through his veins like we were plummeting through a scalding water-slide made of broken concrete. I could almost feel my soul bruising and fracturing. Dang. And I thought Ling's Stone had been unpleasant.

"Got a strong soul," said Nine, kind of laughing and hating Maes for being difficult.

"Doesn't have a clue what he's doing," I replied. My hands clawed into Maes's skin and my palms burned like dry ice. "Dammit, Maes!" I said at him. "Stop fighting it!"

"Get," he said, "off!"

He didn't even have a clue. Nine was getting her soul torn to pulp trying to fight her way to Maes's lungs. She was one of my strongest souls in me, but she was still just one soul. I'd hoped to use her to plough a way through him to make a smooth course for the others, make it so the other souls could get straight to healing him and not expend any extra soul-energy figuring their way through his current. At this rate, Nine would probably dissipate before she made it halfway to his lungs and the whole path she'd cleared would collapse on itself like she was never there.

I'd spend souls, but I wouldn't waste them. Nine's soul shuddered and quaked from the pain. She was swimming upstream and going virtually nowhere.

"Maes!" I said. "Maes! You think you're keeping me from using them, but you're just rejecting them. Your soul's too strong. I've joined with your life's flow with her. If you keep attacking us, my soul won't be able to…" My body twitched at a particularly uncomfortable sharp turn in his flow. "My soul won't be able to break from your circuit and I'll die."

At the word, 'die,' Maes's body went so limp I would've thought he'd kicked the bucket if I hadn't been inside his living life-force at the time. I heard my Dad say, "What the hell is going on?" and felt my Mom's soft hand squeezing my shoulder like she wanted my attention. I just closed my eyes and held tight to Nine as Maes's flow sobered itself and rippled gently under us like cool creek water. We waded through the clear force until I'd gotten Nine to the site where Maes's life-force wasn't so clear. I could feel the shadowy murkiness, the poison in his flow like stagnant soured milk. It made me cough, just the humid claustrophobia of it all, and I could hear Maes coughing too.

"Nine," I said weakly, "can you do it?"

"Sure thing, Twenty-one," Nine choked. "Lead me."

I pushed her through Maes's infected flow, struggling past the thickening, darkening red around us. Nine was feeling darn feeble. Not fair. Made me want to cry. I'd promised all my friends worthwhile and painless deaths. The least I could do. None of us could've imagined Maes's life-force would be one that would reject souls so violently. Guessed that was the 'Edward' part of him shining through.

Finally I got Nine to the source of Maes's danger, the hotspot where his automail had dug into his insides too rough. I didn't know how to repair the automail, but I did know how to manipulate his life-force through it as part of his body.

"Nine," I said kind of quiet.

"Bye, Nina," she said.

I helped her latch onto the damage in Maes's flow and felt her weakened soul disintegrate from my life-force as it let itself give in. As she disappeared, the dust of her soul absorbed the poison in Maes's life-force like a desiccant. My palms were empty of Nine's soul. All that I felt now was Maes's corrected force, purified to by my friend's last efforts.

Maes's hands clenched around my wrists again, this time waiting to actually pull. "Feel sick."

I slipped my hands off him and pushed him on his side roughly so his head was hanging over the side of the bunk. He coughed a few quick times before gagging hard and heaving a stream of black vomit onto the white floor. The black wasn't much, but then he retched and puked up some bile a couple times and that made a gross mess. He wasn't lying limp as he did it, though, and there wasn't too much coughing like death between vomits, so I figured Nine did her job.

"What just happened?" said Dad, really demanding this time. Poor guy. So confused.

Maes shivered and sat himself upright in the bed. His automail looked just as dreadful as ever on the outside, but I knew full well his insides would be okay for now. He shook his bowed head. "You have no idea what a mistake that was."

I threw my fist at his face. Hit good and hard. His face was thin and sick still. He'd have a black eye in an hour. Maes's head fell back a little and he rocked forward to hold the side of his dumb face in his hand.

"Like hell I have no idea!" I said. "Dear God, Maes! Nine was my friend. I don't know why I ever thought it was a good idea to waste her soul on a freak who wasn't even going to say thank you when she died. You hurt her so bad she would have cried nails if she'd had eyes. Screw you. Next time I'll just let you go ahead and die and I'll spend my life-force on getting my parents out of here. At least those damn Supremists wouldn't know how to make my friends suffer like you did. I hope you go to hell."

Maes stared at me completely pale, shaken like I'd just gouged my eyes out right in front of him. He probably would have spoken if he hadn't been on the edge of crying like a kid. He lost the fight and a couple big wet tears bubbled down his sticky cheeks. It spurred a little guilt in me for talking harsh at him, but he was sitting strong. It wasn't like I was picking on a guy on his deathbed anymore. He could man up.

"Nina, sweetie," said Mom. She put her hand on the flat of my back and rubbed real soothing. "Let's take a breath and talk about this."

I kept my eyes locked on Maes. "You just beat one of my best friends to death with your life-force. Next time I tell you to stop fighting, you damn well stop fighting."

I climbed around Maes and stepped over his black puke to get across the room. I got in the dark bathroom and locked the world out. I heard my dad say for the billionth time, "What the hell just happened?" Then I turned the shower on full-blast cold and kind of just sat under it. I'd maybe live there until I died, I figured.

"No," I whispered, rubbing my chest. "Six is right. He had it coming to him. I'll let him say sorry later. Let's just wallow for now, okay? Nine liked wallowing. Liked being just the fifteen of us." I sniffed. "Yeah, just fourteen of us now. Duh." I closed my eyes. "Guess we'd better start talking about stunting life-forces. Like it or not, it's begun."

* * *

REPLIES!

pitstop96: Nerd camp sounds awesome. I gave up on math after a crummy professor nearly flunked me. Go you!

NightTimeSparkle: Yeah, Nina does her best, but she just can't handle taking orders.

Takara Rose Oizumi: I'd be killed by fangirls if Nina let Maes die.

KTrevo: Ha! 'City of Heresy' got you thinking about my fic? That's awesome. I feel kewl.

Awsome anon: Thank you! I hate being blah. So useless.

Harryswoman: You know that song, 'Bittersweet Symphony,' by The Verve? Maes and Nina's song :P

Hawkstang: I'd call my boyfriend a heck of a lot worse if he was dying and he wouldn't let me save him.

author12306: Some of the best? Thanks! So honored! Especially since these are the climax chapters and everything.

Rozablood: ...I don't really know what that said, but it makes me smile that you actually typed it all out like that :P

AlchemistLeigh95: So, I take it you're not a fan of unhappy endings?

Flygrrl: Done :)

SavFFLover: Ah, so the writing's getting to you? Excellent!

SiilverLit: corn cupcakes etc.: you were destined for this fic. This is fate.

otakgirlyy: *runs from sharp objects* "No, wait! Maes is okay! Maes is okay!"

mixmax300: Aw, a few words mean more than none, right?


	89. Chapter 89: I love you, Daddy

Author's Note: By the way, this chapter refers to some Nina moments that happened in 'Babysitting the Boss Guy' that I didn't really go into in 'Flame Legacy.' Shouldn't be confusing the way I've written it, but if it is, that would be why.

* * *

89: I love you, Daddy

"Twenty-one!"

I licked the clotted blood off my hand.

"Come on, Twenty-one. Look at me!"

Like sucking salty red jam off my palms.

"Twenty-one, please! Just look me in the eye."

"Shut up, Nine. I'm eating."

"You're eating yourself. You said we weren't food."

I chewed on my thumb. "Yeah, well, guess I just got hungry."

"You said they'd give us food if we were patient."

I ran my tongue up my slit finger. "Sick of waiting."

"You said they'd give us food if we were good and we gave them results."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I don't really like the results they have in mind for us."

"But you said…" she whimpered, "you said the good girls could share their food with the bad girls. You said you wouldn't let me get too hungry."

"I was overestimating myself." I sucked my blood-damp upper lip. "Sue me. I was, like, two, okay? Dang! Why did I ever think this was a bad idea? I'm so thirst-quenching it's ridiculous."

"You were my favourite," said Nine.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "I think you might've been my favourite, too. Isn't life a bitch? Hey, you want my other hand? I'm still working on this one."

Nine sniffled. "Goodbye, Nina."

My eyes flashed open to dark with icy water pouring hard over me like rain. "Nine?"

"It's me, Nina." That voice was too deep.

I jolted upright and swung my hand out, snapping my fingers toward the voice enough to get a good view through the dark. Fire sparked, but not just a little like I'd meant. The stuff blasted from my fingertip and thumb and nearly singed my dad's face off. He looked pretty dang horrified in the flash of light as he backed against the sink to dodge it. Understandable. Maybe he couldn't have gotten a spark with his gloves all wet under the shower, but apparently my bare fingertips could spark just fine wet. Oops.

"Damn," said Dad breathlessly. "And here I thought I'd be safe if you were soaked in water. How'd you do that, Nina?"

"Nine," I said. "Was she here, or was that another nightmare?" I licked my thumb, licked my lips. Tasted like shower water. "Okay, just a dream. Just a dream."

"You were screaming so hard. I finally just decided to transmute the lock off the door. You've been locked in here for three hours."

I felt his dry hand come down on the top of my dripping hair. So, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness better than mine had. I didn't like that. Maybe it was the water from the shower getting me. I blinked the drops off my lashes.

"Is it going to startle you if I turn the lights on?" he asked.

I nodded. I curled up. "Thanks for checking on me. I kind of remember when I was little how you always calmed me down after the nightmares when I was fresh out of the lab. Still hazy, but that was before you even agreed to be my dad. You didn't know what the hell you were doing, but you still somehow knew. You just knew."

"That's right," said Dad, ruffling my hair gently. "But I got lucky. People aren't always going to 'just know.' Even the most understanding people aren't going to understand everything."

I nodded.

"He was just trying to protect you, Nina. No one could have known what was going on inside you without you telling us."

I huddled under the icy water, pressing my scrunched body against the back of the tub. I let my face rest on my cold knees. My body shivered all over, but my insides were still hot under my skin. "Maes told you, didn't he?"

Dad was silent. His hand went over my hair again, pushing the blunt layers away from my face for me. I didn't move, just let him do it for a while. He sighed softly. "You're still my girl. No matter what your life-force is made of."

"I'm pretty freaky, huh?"

"No," he said. His voice was cozy, but it was scared. "What they did to you was freaky. You are wonderful."

I sucked on my lip, sucked the water off it. Tasted stale like the tap. Kept sucking.

"Can I turn off the shower?" said Dad.

I thought it over. "Go ahead. I think the dream's done now."

I felt the warmth of his shirt sleeve rustle past my chin as he reached for the knob. The water cranked off and the room got quieter than I'd counted on. Dad leaned back. I could see him just a little now, his blurry body taking a seat on the edge of the tub. "Can I turn the lights on?" he asked.

"No." I shook my head, making cold water driplets fling from the stringy tips of my hair. "No."

"Of course not," he sighed. I watched him lean on his knees, his 'at a loss and brooding' stance. "Nina, it's not like we ever expected to raise a normal child. We knew when we adopted you that we were adopting you straight out of a laboratory."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing," he said with a Papa-bear edge. "Not in your case. I never even wanted to be a dad until I met you. You know that. Riza toted you off to all kinds of professionals trying to help you 'assimilate', but you never needed any of that. You needed to feel safe in your own skin, not be put into somebody else's. To be honest, the only reason your mother isn't in here with us right now is because we had a fight about that an hour ago and she's still cooling off."

I bit my lip. "Bad timing for a fight, Dad."

He chuckled. "Now you tell me." He hunched, clasped his hands. "I know this may be hard for you to believe, but I'm not blind, Nina. I painted your first room. I taught you how to brush your teeth. I helped you with your algebra homework and I talked to your teacher when you started falling asleep in class. Come on, Nina. You didn't surprise me when you said you'd been having the nightmares all along. What surprised me was how bad you'd let them get. Worse, what kinds of measures you'd taken to hide them from me. I may be the Fuhrer, but I'm a father first. Amestris is at a steady peacetime. If I'd known you thought I didn't have time for you, I would've retired a long time ago."

"Why else wouldn't I have told you?" Bad time to bring that one to light, Nina.

Dad ran his hand over his face, letting out this sore groan like he did when Mom rearranged the pantry without telling him. "Nina Mustang…" He took a long, calming breath. He sighed it out. "You think I didn't know your life-force was different? Two days after you were dropped on our doorstep, you saved your mother's life from a gunshot wound with a clap of your little hands."

I clenched my hands way hard until the fingers felt numb like they were falling asleep.

"I didn't know about the other souls in your life-force," said Dad, "but, as bad as it is, I'm relieved. After you healed your mother, the transmutation took so much out of you that I thought we'd lose you. You only survived because…"

"Because Mom gave up her Dad's door to the Truth to unbind me from the Portal. Maes mentioned something when we first met each other about her having a tattoo on her back underneath all those pink scars once. I didn't know what he was talking about."

"You should've never known about that," said Dad. He scooted on the edge of the tub to lower his hand to my shoulder. He rubbed my slick arm, warming the goosebumps smooth. "The way you were when you came to us…You were so ready to be done with that. Just wanted to forget."

"My life-force," I said, hand covering my heart, "could have done a hell of a lot of good, Daddy."

"I know, Nina," he said. Said it like he was serious and not just brushing me off. "Ask your mom sometime. I pressed her for weeks to let me help you develop your fire alchemy. I knew you'd be better than me from the start. I wanted to show you off. I'd be the only dad on the block with a daughter who could produce fire with her bare hands. It was never a question of whether you were capable or not. Don't think I never noticed how bored you were in Central just studying art history at the local academy. I knew you could do a hell of a lot of good. I wanted that for you. I really, really wanted it."

"But you knew I'd screw it up, right?" Yep, that was it.

"Not at all. What I knew from experience was that your potential could overwhelm you. I watched it destroy you. It almost killed you. You clearly had some kind of handle on your life-force, but one mistake and you could snuff yourself out forever. I couldn't risk that. I couldn't let my girl use herself as a Philosopher's Stone."

No, but that was the same as screwing it up, more or less. Because if I had used my life-force again and if I had made a mistake, Dad would've stepped in somehow and snuffed himself out in my place like Uncle Ed did for Maes. That was why Dad always kept me close. He wanted to protect me from myself so no one would get hurt trying to save my sorry ass. That was it, wasn't it? That had been it all along. I'd had plenty of power in me, I'd just been the wrong subject to survive. Nine could've done good stuff without doing more bad stuff than it was worth. Nine could've saved Uncle Ed. She wouldn't have let those damn guards crush Maes's automail into his ribs or let them beat him up so bad he wouldn't even tell anyone about it. She wouldn't have gotten Mom and Dad captured with a death sentence waiting for them at the end of the tunnel. She wouldn't have wasted souls like a newbie or put them through painful deaths. Hell. I should've just let myself rot in Central. I'd ruined everything just by stepping out the front door.

"Nina?"

I gripped his wrist. "Daddy…" I felt the cold water drops on my cheeks trickle warm from the brims of my eyes. My breath trembled. "Can you hold me?" I didn't wait for an answer. I stood up fast, losing my footing a little on the slick tub floor. I tripped into his hug. He was good and ready for me. He knew I wasn't exactly one to wait for this kind of thing.

"I'm sorry," I said through a sob.

Dad held his strong arms around me like a hot blanket and let me shiver against his chest. His lap was getting soaked, but he'd had worse on him. He hushed me in that soft, soothing way that he'd do after a nightmare when I was a kid. I tried to ignore the sound my my voice crying like a dang baby, but my body was quaking so hard from the sobs that denial was pretty hard to keep up.

"Thank God for malnutrition," he said gently. "You still fit."

I half laughed, half sobbed. My fingers clung on to his button-down shirt and I ground my forehead into his chest. Dad held me firmer, cozier. He kissed my hair. "You don't have to do it, baby."

I nodded under his chin. "Do to."

His hug tightened like I was going to get swept away if he missed a beat. "No, you don't. We talked it over after Maes explained things; the three of us. The Supremists didn't see anything. All the healing you did for Maes was internal and he's still having plenty of external signs of breathing trouble from having part of his automail disconnected, whether it's hurting him inside or not. There's no tangible way for our captors to realize what you're capable of. As far as they know, you're still just a hostage." He hunched, kind of drooping to rest his chin on the top of my head. "Maes is alive. There's no need for you to use the rest of your life-force to get us out of here. Let us worry about ourselves. You've done enough."

"No." I sniffled.

Dad's chest started feeling shaky when he breathed. "Don't do this to me."

"Got to."

"No, Nina. No, you don't."

"You're the Fuhrer." I sniffed. "People need you and stuff."

Dad squeezed me so tight it kind of hurt a little in my shoulders. "You really think I could go back to being the Fuhrer after losing you? If I had to bury my little girl? I don't think I could even…" His voice broke off and he shuddered. His body quaked a couple times. "I couldn't tie my own shoes."

I strung my arms around his neck, pressing my cheek into his shoulder at that warm, soft part under his jaw.

"We'll figure something out," he said. He stroked the back of my head. "Don't leave us, little girl. Don't you dare leave us."

I held him tight like a little monkey hanging on a tree. "I love you, Daddy."

* * *

REPLIES!

Harryswoman: 4-koma theatre?

WinryElric24: I've always wanted to punch someone in the face, just to know what it feels like. Probably be anticlimactic.

NightTimeSparkle: I love confused-Roy. He's the kind of person that would have a breakdown if he was confused too long.

pitstop96: Ed once said, "I agreed to Maes. We aren't pet-naming my son 'Maesy'!" Or, something like that :P

PhantomhiveHost: Wow, that was the most flattering strangle-threat I've ever received :D

SiilverLit: "Flame Legacy: inspiring unhealthy sleep patterns and caffeine overdose since 2013."

verry-chan: It was great finally writing a moment between Maes and Roy that didn't revolve around Maes being turned to ash.

mixmax300: High stress situations. Voices inside her head. Stir crazy from being locked up for over a month. What can you do?

KTrevo: What questions? I don't remember any questions.

author12306: Thanks. I love the number nine. Three squared and a factor of 72. Beautiful.

elricstriderlovechild: As a matter of fact, I'm officially very happy :D

Hawkstang: Heh, I hope that's not a bad thing :S


	90. Chapter 90: Change in Plans

Author's Note: Uh, I started a deviantart account to organize some of the fanart and junk I'll be putting in my trailer. Link's on my profile. MUFFINS-with-MAES has been doing some amazing fanart herself, so you should check that out too. 'Flame Legacy' is drawing to a close, so I'll be collecting any 'donations' (fanart, photos of cornbread casserole attempt, photos of burnt toast, etc.) over the next week. My email's on my profile. Thanks!

* * *

Chapter 90: Change in Plans

Dad left. Dad made up with Mom. Mom came in and gave me some dry clothes. I changed. Mom and I talked. Mom cried. We cried. I let Mom turn on the lights. I cried again. I said I'd had it with tears. We got the hell out of that white bathroom.

I stepped out with my bare feet. The room still smelled kind of acidic, like the pukey kind of acidic. I'd taken up the bathroom for, like, four hours, so Mom hadn't had access to soap and water to clean Maes's black vomit up for him properly. They'd just kind of thrown a rolled up sheet over it in the meantime.

Mom held my hand like my seeing-eye dog and led me further in so I could peer around at Maes's bunk. Yeah, he was sitting there with his back to the wall, his face buried in his knees, and his arms wrapped around tight. Dad was sitting next to him with his hand on Maes's back, kind of just there like a comforting statue. Maes didn't seem to notice I'd come out. He could've been sleeping for all I knew.

I came on up to the bed and nudged his arm with my fist. "Hey, Maes, you going to just sit there like a loser?"

He jerked, unfolding himself in one sloppy movement. His big wet eyes blinked at me, one eye a little purple around the edges from where I'd socked him earlier. He put the back of his hand loosely up to his mouth and coughed. Not the dying kind. Just the regular 'born too early' kind.

"So, what's the deal?" I said. "You want a hug or something?"

He lowered his hand from over his mouth. "Really?"

"You wouldn't have done it to her if you'd known." I put my arms out for him like opening double doors. "Plus, all that time being deprived of oxygen makes a guy kind of loopy in the brain. Can't really blame you for being stupid given the circumstances, you know?"

Maes took a sharp breath. "Yeah, but…" He looked so freaking crumpled and upset. "Did I really hurt her?"

I climbed onto the bed via my knees and got across to grab him up in my arms. The hug jarred him a little too much and he let out a hefty cough like I'd winded him. Oopsy. "Yep, you sure did," I said. "But you'll get over it, okay? We're going to be fine. Nine died smiling, if that makes sense. That's enough."

Maes's arms tugged around me. "I'm sorry."

"You know it was just talk when I said I was sorry I saved your life, right?"

Maes trembled. "Really am sorry."

"Hey," I said, "you shake like this and I'll start thinking of nervous lapdogs with osteoporosis. Calm down. It's okay now."

"Sorry," he said, this time apologizing for being a wimp.

I frowned, pulled away a little. "I was comforting you, not scolding you. Don't apologize. Come here." I rose up on my knees enough to lean in and kiss him. It took a moment, but I felt his hand come through my hair behind my ear and he kissed me gently back. Our first real kiss since we'd been locked up and his mouth tasted like sweet bile. I drew away. Dad looked pretty awkward still stuck sitting there on Maes's other side, kind of motionless and averting his eyes to the floor.

"Jeez, Maes!" I said. I smacked my tongue, grimacing. "You just kissed me with your puke-mouth and you still managed to taste like corn. Rancid corn! You didn't even have anything on your stomach when you tossed it. If that's not a skill, I don't know what is."

"You say it like it's a bad thing," he said with a sheepish little smile. He touched my cheek. "Thanks for kissing my puke-mouth. Thanks for helping me breathe. It feels really good."

Dang. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him having the strength to hold me or even to lift his hand enough to touch my cheek. Lately all he could do was lie in bed and try to keep breathing while I snuggled next to him and tried not to smother him. I kissed his cheek. "You're welcome."

"Nina?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

"But, Nina…?"

"Yeah?"

Maes got this pleading look. "I really have to pee."

"I think Riza just went in," said Dad. "Four hours is a while to wait to use the restroom."

"Hey," I said with a shrug, "I can transmute you a bottle."

Maes smiled in this pained way. "I can wait."

It was weird seeing Maes walk around on his own the rest of the day. Like, he was still pretty weak and achy from being sick and all, but he could actually stand up and use the bathroom without my dad for the first time in weeks. He could shower off the sweat from his poor neglected body. He could scarf down the last can of freaking corn. He could carry on a conversation without having to catch his breath every few words. He could kiss me without risking suffocation.

He could start working on those damn notes again.

"Let me help you with them," I said. "You're way behind."

Maes shook his head.

"But, Maes, I know it better than you. I've seen enough Truth for thirty people. You're a fast worker, but you're just copying what you've learned from me."

"Irrelevant," he said. "The point's not to be accurate. The point's to make it look convincing. I can draw fancy fake circles just fine on my own."

I watched his eyes dart back and forth in their sockets like usual as his weakened hand scrawled out phony diagrams and transmutation formulas onto a page. His fingernails weren't blue anymore, but his hand still looked feeble holding the pen. I kind of just wanted to donate some of my weight to him. Not that I hadn't lost weight myself—we all had—but at least my knuckles weren't jutting out of my skin. I wondered if it was possible to use souls to reverse atrophy at high speed. I decided that might turn gross pretty easy.

"Maes, I don't want you exhausting yourself so bad working that I have to save your life again."

He shook his head, eyes darting at his notes. "I'm fine now. I'll stop if I get tired. I mess this up and we're dead."

I laughed too loud. "Dang, your two months to get this thing done are almost up. We're dead in three weeks. You realize that, don't you?"

"I realize it."

"I kind of admire how you're still stalling like a diehard, but in the end it's still just stalling. You let me help with the notes and maybe they won't beat you up the next time around; assuming there even is a next time."

Maes's eyes stopped darting. He set down the notes on his lap and kind of folded his hands on top of them like he really didn't know where else to put them. He didn't look up. "You figured that out, huh?"

"I overheard you and Dad," I said. "Sounded like you didn't want me knowing you'd had the tar kicked out of you, so I just kept my mouth shut. Sorry. Figured you'd start pretending it didn't hurt the moment you realized I was watching."

Maes nodded. "Yeah, I would. It really wasn't that big of a deal. I can take a few punches. I've had it worse. I'm happy to stall through the next few weeks with a few bumps and bruises along the way. You, on the other hand…" He looked at me. "If it came out that you'd been involved with the notes and all the sudden you were the focus of their attention, they'd be liable to do a lot worse than just rough you up a bit to keep you under their thumb, Miss Nina."

I sucked my lip.

Maes looked at the door uneasily. "You're thinking too much about the big picture, like everything's set in stone as it is. I don't see much of a way out of this, but who knows what could happen in the next few weeks? It's worth going on just to find out, so I'll keep writing the notes like everything's okay and hope for a miracle for now. But, think about it, Nina. You want to help me write the notes so I'll have more to give if they check on me again, but these guys aren't stupid. Something as trivial as your difference in handwriting could give you away. This whole time you've been safe because the Supremists know that they can make me do anything as long as they agree not to hurt you. That was the deal. But if that protection goes away…" Maes gritted his teeth and was quiet for a second. "Look, I'm not so sure protecting your life-force would be your biggest issue if the Supremists got their hands on you."

I curled into myself a little. "You saying they'd rape me or something?"

"I'm saying I have control over the situation right now and I have no way of knowing what could happen to you if that changed."

"Okay," I said. I nodded once. I nodded again. "Alright, then. I won't touch your notes. Understood."

"Sorry," said Maes.

"No. No, that's fine. I get it." I leaned next to him and dropped my ear on his shoulder. "Just so freaking useless right now. Like, everything that should be my problem…Well, I can't touch any of it, can I? You have to do it all for me, which is pretty pathetic considering how dang sickly and useless you've gotten. So, what's my job here? Pretend to be normal while you pretend to be me?"

I felt his body chuckle. "You could get me a glass of water."

I groaned. "Get it yourself, lazybones."

Mom finally let me see the calendar of hers. Yep. Three weeks. Three golden weeks until Maes's deadline. Even Maes didn't know what that meant. Whether he was supposed to just turn over a lot of notes or if he was actually supposed to make a physical demonstration.

"Physical demonstration with what?" said my dad.

"With who?" I corrected. That was the better question there.

"Who knows?" said Maes.

It had been a rough day and, as much as he'd improved, Maes was still feverish with only a partial amount of function coming from his automail. He ended up taking a lot of breaks from catching up on the notes until finally setting them down after dinner. He came up to my bunk with me, mostly because he'd been stuck in his for a month and a half and he was ready to congregate somewhere else.

"I'm stronger now," said Maes. He coughed into the crook of his arm. "Maybe an escape attempt isn't a bad idea anymore."

"There were a billion reasons we never tried to escape," I said, "and you being sick was only one of them. Besides, you may be able to breathe without the mask now, but I wouldn't exactly call you strong. You're still fighting the darn fever and you're weak from being sick for so long. Plus, even if Nine was able to patch up the places the Supremists actually injured you, it's not like she fixed your automail. You yourself said the whole thing just needs to be replaced. So, in the end, your lungs are only half-supported and your body is barely holding on to functionality. If we tried to escape, you wouldn't be able to run across a hall if we got chased without losing your breath and collapsing."

"But the odds are better than before," he said. "You have to admit."

"Yeah, but that's not saying much," Dad butted in. He peered at Maes over the railing of my bunk. "Nina's right. I've gone over it in my head a hundred times. You're not going anywhere, Maes. Not now."

"Then I'll get better."

"Yeah," I said. "You just do that."

Maes frowned.

"Why not just heal him the rest of the way?" asked Mom. She came next to my dad. "Instead of using the souls in your life-force to stunt the life-forces of the Supremists so we won't have to fight them, why not just use them to make Maes strong enough to defend himself?"

"Sounds good," said Maes, "but alchemy heals injuries, not conditions. If Nina really wanted to make me strong, she'd have to make my lungs like they were able to finish developing and…" Maes coughed, "and reverse eighteen years of lung-damage. Alchemy can do a lot of things, but it can't change history."

Mom looked at me like she needed confirmation. Dad looked too. I shrugged. "He's right. Even if I attempted it, there's no telling how many souls it could take to heal Maes completely. I'd probably use myself up before I could figure out what I was even doing. Not worth it."

Mom's face sank like she was disappointed, like she'd actually thought she'd had a new, amazing idea.

"I've got time," said Maes. "I've got three weeks before my two-month deadline. We'll keep thinking. I'll get stronger. We'll figure something out."

"Yeah," said Dad. "Riza and I have put together courses of action in three minutes. We can do this in three weeks. Easily."

"Yup," I said. "Easily."

What a sick bunch of tripe. They were going on nothing and they knew it. We'd all been lazing around just waiting on a miracle until now. Until I'd come up with a plan that most likely ended in me dying. Until they'd suddenly been desperate to find an alternative in case I decided to put my plan into motion on freaking impulse. Kind of cute, really.

* * *

REPLIES!

KTrevo: Ha! 'Not anymore.' Perfect.

Hawkstang: Haha, good to know.

pitstop96: "better than if maes had gone to her" -I could hug you for saying that. I secretly hate sacrificing writing for fanservice.

NightTimeSparkle: Nothing like a confused Roy.

Polarized Penmanship: Yay! You caught up :)

BloodyCookie: Sharp objects seem kind of popular lately.

SavFFLover: Nothing like being comforted by your daddy.

PhantomhiveHost: 'Sad' is such a strong, broad word. No story without conflict :D

author12306: AW! Best? That's amazing. I'm honored.

elricstriderlovechild: Time for an Author gush- Oh, my gosh! You were born early too? That's the sweetest, most sentimental thing. My mom was born five weeks early. I was only born three weeks early. We had it easy, though. My friend's kid was born three MONTHS early. He's six now and healthy. Barely made it, though. Miracle kids. Gotta love 'em.

mixmax300: Roy doesn't even wear shoes. He wears boots, and Riza probably already has to tie them for him :P

Nikkome Konno: Dang, those guys have all kinds of junk standing in their way.

frizzylizzy98: Nothing like a father/daughter moment to sweeten the story.

Awsome anon: Wait...did you really do it?

Harryswoman: I wanna watch! Need to get my hands on some DVDs first...

verry-chan: They needed it. The story needed it.

DanniMaeAnime92: Captive for far too long? Nina would agree with you there.

MUFFINS-with-MAES: Hahahaha! GREAT fanart. Loved 'Lactophobia." Loved. You are a talented and creative artist. Your style rocks!


	91. Chapter 91: Ten Cans Left

Author's Note: Sorry for the disappearing act. I kind of relapsed, but I'm good now. You get a long chapter for your patience (and because this just so happened to be a long chapter).

As for fanart! Siilverlit just put up a really pretty portrait of Nina on deviantart and you should check it out. It's more or less gorgeous and Maes is going to hang it on his kitchen wall above his special cast-iron cornbread pans. MUFFINS-with-MAES put up some pretty much hilarious fanart on her page too and I believe she has more to come. And then I've put up some sneak previews of stuff I'll use in my crappy little trailer (obviously there'll be more to come on that). Links on my profile! Again, this thing's easing to a close (I'm really not sure it'll be an exact hundred since I tend to write more than I intend, but we can hope). If anyone actually attempted that casserole, I'll put a picture of it in my trailer if you send the pic to me by the email on my profile. You deserve the recognition :P

On that note, I have one thing to say and one thing only. O ye, of little faith.

* * *

Chapter 91: Ten Cans Left

Sixteen more days. Ten cans left. One sliced pears, one carrots, one chicken broth, four asparagus, the other three tuna meat. Maes was going to eat the whole of them whether he liked it or not.

"Uncle Roy, that is the last of it," said Maes to no actual avail. "Do you get that? When those ten cans are gone, there is no more. Your insides start eating themselves until you starve to death. What little we have left we can't afford not to share."

"We can and we will," said Dad in his firm, superior officer voice. "You said you wanted to regain your strength. So, you'll keep up with your meals as if nothing has changed. No questions."

"The three of you have already been rationing yourselves for a while now. What use is it for me to regain strength if all of you lose yours in the process?"

"We'll be going hungry for two days," said Mom. "It's nothing, Maes. Roy and I have gone longer than that without food when fieldwork got complicated, and Nina can certainly hold her own when it comes to hunger. You, on the other hand, have such difficulty keeping weight on when you're sick like this that it would be stupid of us not to put meat on your bones while we can. Even if the guards came back tomorrow with a new supply, there's no telling which days you'll be able to eat and which you'll feel too sick. Your breathing has improved, but your temperature's still elevated and we can't afford to ignore the possibility that you could fall ill again at a moment's notice."

"She's right," I said with a nod. "You're not in the clear yet. I can go two lousy days without asparagus so easy it's laughable. Take the food, Maes. We're fine."

Maes slouched. "But what if they don't bring us more food in time? What if they bring it too late and you all starve just moments too soon? What if whatever's been making me sick turns out to be a contagion and one of you catches it? You're not as thin as me, but that could change if you got sick enough. I'll wake up and realize this all could have been prevented if you'd just had a little more asparagus, but by then it will be too late."

Mom grabbed a grey can of asparagus, shoved it in Maes's face, and said, "You want to act like a child? Fine. I know how to handle children. So help me, you eat your dinner or I will put you in the time-out corner so you can think about what you've done. I won't lose sleep over disciplining an eighteen year old man."

"She's not bluffing," said Dad with a shudder.

I patted my dad's shoulder. "There there, Daddy. Your overdue paperwork can't get you in here."

Maes looked at the can in my mom's hand and took it from her. He stared at it for a while, then tossed it all nonchalant and caught it in his hand. He looked up with a grin. "Wow, Aunt Riza. You're scary as hell. I had no idea you loved me that much."

It took a second, but Mom smiled back in that warm way. She nudged Maes's pale cheek with her knuckles. "It hurts a mom to see her babies sick. You've got to try to keep your strength up, Maes. For all our sakes."

Maes kept his smile, but his eyes got heavy like he'd thought of something he didn't like to think about. "You know, my mom doesn't know what that feels like. To have both her babies strong." He looked at the can in his hand and nodded. "I guess next time I see her I'd better come home as strong as I can. Seeing her cry is the worst."

"Victory is ours!" I said, throwing my fist in the air. "Go Mom!"

Yeah, okay, so maybe part of me was hungry already from holding back the past few days. I mean, we'd all been eating, but me and my parents had recognized quite a while back that there was a steady chance that at this rate the Supremists wouldn't be checking in on us, and even if they did they might not bring more food. So, we'd kind of been skipping meals here and there for the past couple weeks, only eating a can a day some days, especially days when the cans had meat in them. Conserving, stretching it out. If we hadn't done that, we'd already have been out of food and Maes wouldn't have had a thing to fuel him and put the meat back on his bones.

None of us needed the food like he did, but the effects of rationing were kind of getting a little noticeable. It didn't really hit me at first when it was just me. I knew the achy feel of hunger in my stomach well enough for it not to shock me and I lost the weight so gradually that I hardly noticed until my mom had said after a hug, "Oh, baby, I can feel your spine-bumps through your dress." But looking at my parents now was nothing less than unsettling. Mom had always been slim and trim since I'd known her, but always in the fit kind of way. Now all her leanness seemed kind of weak like her muscles were being eaten away along with the fat. She was losing the good stuff. Her hugs used to be so warm and soft. Now they were just a little bit pointy.

Nothing was worse than looking at Dad, though. Seeing me and Mom and Maes lose weight was different than witnessing it on my father. I'd never seen his face just a little too lean, his clothes hanging just a little too loose. Most people probably wouldn't notice how his hugs were getting less and less tight and how his skin had to stretch more and more every time he would smile. But he was my dad. I'd memorized the feel of those hugs and the lines of that smile before I could even remember. Dad was looking…small.

Obviously. He'd been skipping more meals than any of us by far. Some days he wouldn't even eat. I liked to pretend I didn't know he was doing it. I liked to pretend that he wasn't doing it.

Dad whipped out that awkward can opener and sat next to Maes on his bunk. "Can I get that for you?" he asked. He was looking at Maes's frail hands holding kind of pitiful onto the can.

Maes handed him the can. "I miss corn."

Dad chuckled, digging the opener into the top of the can until it penetrated. "Not a big fan of asparagus either, huh? Nina hates the stuff."

"Just the canned," I said, folding my arms. "Fresh is fine. Big difference. And I, for one, am sick of corn."

Maes wrinkled his forehead. "How is that even possible?"

"You seem to like corn an awful lot, Maes," said Mom.

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh. You have no idea."

"Well, yeah, what's not to like?" said Maes. He took the opened can from Dad and stared reluctantly at the watery asparagus inside. "It's sweet like honey and crunches like pomegranate seeds when you can get it fresh. There are a thousand things you can do with it. Cornbread, corn muffins, corn pancakes, corn ice cream—"

"Whoa!" said Dad. "I think I draw the line at corn ice cream."

I hugged my dad for that. "See, Maes? He gets it."

"I don't know," said Mom. "Corn is so sweet. It could easily become a desert, in my opinion."

"See, Nina?" said Maes with a smirk. "She gets it." He stood and swung his arm around my mom's shoulders. "Me and you, we're going to get along fine."

Mom laughed. "So, I get points for being an adventurous eater?"

"Oh, Mom," I groaned. "You've created a monster. He thinks he has a freaking ally."

Maes laughed at me. "You better believe it. Your mom's my new best friend."

Dad shook his head. "We've been in here too long."

I cuddled next to him. I leaned my head on his shoulder. "You'd better believe it."

Maes sat down at the head of the bed at my dad's other side and fished out a spear of asparagus. "I really miss corn." He ate it with a kind of interesting frown on, the kind where you're trying to be thankful for what you've got but are really unsuccessful. I reached over my dad to pat poor Maes on the knee. Probably some kind of passive form of torture for those damn Supremists to stick so much freaking asparagus in all our canned reserves. Maes smiled the, 'I'm fine, Nina,' smile with the soft gold eyes.

"Hey, you two," said Dad with a kind of sour look.

Oh, right. I still had my arm reaching over him to get to Maes. I shifted back onto my butt. "Yeah, oops."

Maes gave me a cheeky look past my dad's shoulder before gulping down another slimy piece of asparagus.

There was this scraping sound in the air that at first I kind of mistook for the sound of a mouse chewing a hole in wood. Mom looked toward the door and I realized the handle was shaking just a little like someone was fiddling to unlock it. I realized the sound was the key going at the lock like a knife on a victim. Really anxious to open the door up.

Open. The. Door.

I bounded off the bed, landed on my feet in front of my mom, and watched the door like an expectant old dog waiting on its dead master to come home. "The door's going to open."

I felt my mom's soft hand on my shoulder. "It looks that way."

I heard my dad mutter, "No, stay seated," and caught a glance of him coming to stand protectively between Maes and the door.

"The notes," said Mom, keeping hold of my shoulder. "Where are the notes?"

"Under my bunk," Maes said. I heard papers rustle as he picked them up off the ground.

The handle jiggled. And clicked.

Open. The. Door.

The door opened, slower than I'd expected considering how frantic the key had been at unlocking it. Everything seemed to go into that tense type of silence as a couple familiar-looking guards sauntered through with a crate of refill cans. Carried the loaded box right on in like it was their room. Mom's hand tightened on my shoulder as the guards brought the crate past me and swapped it out for the near empty one. They turned and walked right out with the empty one just like they'd walked right in with the full one. I got this ache to follow them out all silent after them, see some colour on the walls maybe.

"Colour on the walls," I said.

Mom squeezed my shoulder tighter.

A new figure came into the doorway, medium-tall in a green and yellow robe. Had his salt and pepper hair tied tidy behind his head. Sword sheathed at his hip. Big yellow-toothed grin on his face. I could practically feel the anxiety behind me radiating off of Maes. I knew this guy. He'd wanted me to make him immortal at Xing Palace. Until Maes had drawn his attention away to him.

I folded my arms real stiff. "You're the jerk who stuck us here, huh?"

Mom squeezed my shoulder way too tight. Dad looked frozen. Maes was fighting a smile. The sword-guy acted like I hadn't said anything. "You're looking well, Maes."

Maes was faking some pretty convincing wheezy breathing, but it didn't change the fact that he'd gotten some of the colour back in his face. "Feeling better," he said with a polite smile. He stood frailly, didn't have to pretend to be weak. Dad watched helplessly as Maes passed him the partially eaten can of asparagus and gathered up the small stack of notes. Maes looked at the sword-guy and said, "I'm ready."

The sword-guy looked at the stack of front-back papers in Maes's arms with cold skepticism. "Your manual was to be completed."

Manual? Now I got what Maes had been saying about these numbskulls being ignorant about alchemy. Maes should've been sketching out concepts while all they wanted was a step-by-step, 'do it yourself' guide to immortality. What losers.

"It is complete," I said. "Has been for a while. You might've known that if you'd checked in on us a couple times."

"Nina!" Dad hissed.

Maes stepped in front of me like he was shunning me from a conversation with the cool kids. He spoke straight to the sword-guy. "I'm perfectly ready," he said, "to begin building."

The sword-guy took a moment then nodded. "You have sixteen days remaining."

"Yes," said Maes, "I'll have it done by then."

The sword-guy wagged his hand for Maes to follow him. Maes walked toward the door with a kind of heart-breaking fragileness. Toward that wide open door.

"Wait," I said.

Maes's walking faltered. Mister Yellow-teeth looked impatient and kind of interrupted. Mom was cutting off the circulation in my shoulder with her grip and Dad was just waiting for the moment he had to save my obnoxious ass from my smart mouth.

"Is there an issue, young lady?" said the sword-guy all condescending.

"Hell if there isn't," I said. I put my hands on my hips. "We've been stuck here at your miserable place for a month and a half and we're still referring to you as 'that guy with the sword and the yellow teeth'. I want to know your name."

Dad had one of those, 'Oh, dear God,' faces on, but the yellow-toothed guy almost seemed amused. He raised his eyebrows at me and said, "I'm called 'Yao.' No other name matters to me."

What a geek. Bet he got his butt kicked on the playground at recess.

"Satisfied?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. So lying. I'd be calling him 'Bob' from now on.

Bob nodded at Maes and went on out the door. Maes whispered, "Love you," over his shoulder to me and followed after Bob. I watched him go. His shirt was white cotton and I could see the shadows of his ribs and spine poking in ridges underneath, shifting in his skin with every step. Every step out the open door.

I shrugged my mom off and jogged a couple steps after him. "Hey, Maes! Bring me back something colourful, okay?"

The door closed. Maes's voice called kind of muffled and wheezy from the other side, "No promises!"

And then it was silent and no one made another sound except for the lock clicking shut.

Mom sank like she'd been holding her breath. "Since when do you mouth off like that?"

I shrugged. "Just never felt safe saying crap out loud around you guys. Or anyone else. Doesn't mean I wasn't thinking it."

Dad laughed, still just a little uneasily. "You really know how to pick a good time to break that rule."

"Judgement gets a little cloudy when you're stuck in a stark white room for a month and a half, Daddy."

He smiled at me fondly. "Should've kept that in mind."

"So, Nina," said Mom. "You said you've been thinking a lot of 'crap' that's gone unsaid over the years. Mind sharing?"

I laughed pretty hard, just thinking about all of it. "Mouthing off at a scary extremist leader? That I can do. Listing out my parents' issues to them? Not happening."

Dad scratched his hair. "You're daughter's being a little scary, Riza."

I eased onto Maes's bunk. It'd kind of become our place to congregate every day, the family couch. I sat back against the wall. Still warm from his body being there all morning. His frail, feverish body. "Maes has me mouthing off at him all the time since we met each other," I said. "Guess I just got used to it. Can't break the habit."

"Then don't break it," said Dad. "You call it mouthing off, but I call it Nina."

Mom sat next to me and held one of my hands. "Maes made you feel safe, didn't he? That's what you were saying. You felt safe to get angry around him. When you were little, you never questioned us. There was one night Roy put you in the bathtub and you sat quietly with your tugboat until he realized he'd forgotten to turn the cold water on with the hot."

Dad sat at my other side, ran his hand restlessly through his hair thinking back on it. "That water would've scalded you if I'd left you there much longer. Probably somewhere within the top ten most frightening moments of my life."

Mom looked at Dad. "Really?"

Dad nodded. "For that split moment when I noticed the water starting to give off steam and Nina's legs getting red and blotchy under the faucet? I know what second-degree burns look like. She was too close."

"Don't even remember that," I said.

"That's probably because it was nothing new to you," said Dad. He looked at his knees in that way he did when he was concentrating really hard on not showing emotion. "You must've said you were sorry ten times after I got you out. You thought you were being punished for something. You thought it was normal for parents to put their babies under scalding water as a method of discipline. You honestly thought you deserved it, too. You didn't know what you were apologizing for, but you were so sure I deserved an apology from you. No matter how many times I tried to tell you it was my fault and you weren't in trouble, you just couldn't get it through your head. You couldn't comprehend the idea of someone not wanting to hurt you, not even the people who rocked you to sleep at night."

I sucked on my lip. I had a funny feeling, like tickly little worms squirming around in by blood vessels. Made my breaths a little unsteady. I'd always known my dad was a pretty deep fella what with all he'd gone through growing up, with wars, and losing people he loved. Just, he usually wasn't the touchy-feely type. I got it when he'd been sweet to Maes since Uncle Ed had died and Maes was dying and it made sense to let some barriers down for the moment. It was totally necessary for him to get all sappy with me after he found out about my life-force issue and all it entailed. I mean, he'd just been informed that I was thinking about enacting a plan that would involve me dying at the end. He was losing people left and right.

But here he was reminiscing painful junk about raising me. He'd never really done that. Not at all. He and Mom just didn't really talk about my early years. They'd always said they wanted me to forget about those years, the years I'd been in the lab and the years I'd spent rehabilitating from that life. Guessed this was the first time I'd ever heard him tell a heartfelt horror story about me.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to rant."

"No," I said. I leaned on him. "No, keep talking. I like it when you get upset over me."

Dad chuckled. Mom patted my leg. "I remember your first tantrum. We'd had you for…"

"Three months," said Dad.

"Three months," said Mom with a nod. "And I told you to brush your teeth before bed. You said no, you wanted Daddy to do it. Roy used to brush your teeth for you while you were still learning how to do it yourself. I said Daddy was tired from his job and we needed to leave him alone. I told you I would brush them for you, but you just got this panicked look in your eyes and screamed, 'No! Daddy wants to do that one!'"

Dad smiled. "You had a pair of lungs on you, too. I could hear you from across the house with the bedroom door closed. I'd never heard you yell with that tone. I thought something was really wrong."

"Well, so did you, Nina. The moment you'd finished yelling at me, your face just filled with terror. It was like you were looking at a pack of wolves. I didn't understand at first. You just backed up from me and bolted out of the bathroom like I was a monster."

"Took us almost half an hour to find you, too," said Dad. "It was a small apartment. We were scared you'd found a way to climb out of a window or get through the door."

"Where'd you find me?" I asked.

"That's the thing," said Mom. "Apparently you weren't new to the concept of hide-and-seek. You didn't stay in one place. You were so quiet. It took us to the end of the thirty minutes to notice the slight shift in the comforter from where you'd climbed out from under the bed."

"After that we realized we were dealing with a professional," said Dad with a chuckle. "We tracked you down to the cupboard under the sink. You were huddled in a ball behind the dish-soap and the window cleaner."

I smirked. "I was so cool."

Mom watched me with a soft, sad smile. "You were terrified. I couldn't go near you for the rest of the night without you trying to run away again. Your dad had to talk you out of there with me at a safe distance."

"I'm not sure you'd ever lost it like that in your life," said Dad. "Looking back, I'm sure you thought Riza was going to kill you."

Mom looked at Dad. "I think I cried myself to sleep that night, didn't I?"

Dad nodded. "You were a mess. Most parents have to teach their kids to obey." Dad met my eyes. "We took you to professionals to teach you how to act out."

I leaned my head back and smiled at that. "Wish Maes was here to listen to you talking about my submissive days. He wouldn't believe a word of it."

"Sure he would," said Mom. "That was the main topic of conversation when Roy and I would talk to the Elrics. They had the same problem with Maes."

Yeah, I could easily believe that. I looked at the door. The closed door. "Back when I first met him, before I even knew about Uncle Ed and junk, Maes told me he felt like he knew me because of all the stories his Dad told him. Guess I never really understood how we were similar, but it seemed to make enough sense to him. Maes can make sense out of anything. I guess I didn't realize I spoke a different language from everyone else until I met someone who spoke it too, you know?"

Mom squeezed my hand. "He'll be back, sweetheart."

"Oh, yeah, I know." I sucked my lip. I sucked it harder.

"If he doesn't come back," said Dad, "then I'll bring him back."

I sniffed. "Yeah, I know. Sure you will. Yeah."

Dad hugged his arm around me. He pulled me against him and let me cuddle so I could hide the tears in his shoulder. He knew full well it freaked me out to be seen crying. "I won't let anything happen to him, Nina."

"Yeah, I know. I know." At this point, it was all just a bunch of Papa-bear bullshitting. "I know you won't, Dad." I looked down at Dad's hand resting next to him, still holding onto Maes's abandoned can of asparagus. I looked at that can, that open can of watery, slimy green. I looked over at the new crate of cans the guards had left for us. I looked back at the can in my dad's hand. I reached over him and yanked it out of his grip.

"Nina, you hungry?" said Dad.

I shook my head.

"They left a whole box of food," said Mom. "You don't need to eat asparagus if you're hungry."

I shook my head again. "Nope, not hungry." I felt mom's fingers brush my shoulder, trying to grab hold again. I shrugged her off. "Maes hated asparagus. Why the hell did you give him this can first?"

"I just gave him the first one I grabbed," said Mom. "He could've picked a different on if he'd wanted."

I jiggled the can in my hand, watching the asparagus juice slosh from side to side with the weight. "Maes hated this stuff." My grip tightened on the can. "He hated it!" I leaned up off the bed and chucked the can at the door. It hit with a clank and a splat. Green spears of mushy canned veggie spewed across the door and plopped on the white floor. I cackled. "Aw, jeez. Glad that's over." There was a momentary quiet with just my laughing polluting the air. Mom stood up behind me, put her arms around me. I shrugged her off. Walked tall to the middle of the room where the guards had left the crate. I knelt down and fumbled through it. Second can I picked up—bingo—was sweet cut corn. I smiled at it. "Dummy. Sixteen days and Bob'll find out you can't turn him immortal. What are you going to do then, huh? Dear God. You didn't even…" I slammed the can back in the crate, "Damn it. You didn't even say goodbye!"

Mom attempted to come behind me and hug me again. "He'll be back, Nina. He'll be back."

I pulled away from her. "Like hell."

"Maes will be back here before you know it…" my mom trailed off and I could hear dad hissing to her something about not the time.

"Like hell!" I said. "Like hell, like hell, like hell! He just waltzed off after telling Bob he was ready to build. You realize the only reason he was allowed to stay here with us all this time was because he was working on the notes, right? So now he's ready to build? I mean, he left here knowing he wasn't coming back. No joke."

"I'm sure he knew what he was doing," said Mom. "I'm sure he—"

"Riza," my dad hissed. She looked at him. He shook his head at her all stern. "Let her cool off."

"Yeah," I laughed. I rocked back and forth on my heels. "Yeah, Mom. Let me cool off. Never knew temperature could affect a girl so bad, but apparently I need to cool." I felt my knees buckle. My body plunked down and I just stayed there on my hands and knees on the hard floor. "I want to burn something up. Like maybe the walls or something. Get them glowing orange instead of white. Turn that damn white into ash. I want to, but I can't control my fire like dad can. It just bursts from my fingers for a blip and then it's gone. I guess I could try to burn the walls, but I might just burn the whole room with them on accident. Fire spreads. I suck. I'm better with souls."

"Good," said Dad, fumbling to help me to my feet. "I don't want you burning anything up, understand?"

"Come on, sweetie," said Mom, motioning for Dad to help me back to Maes's bunk. "Let's lie down for a while."

My knees got weak again and I sagged in my Dad's hold. "I hate sleep. I don't want to sleep."

Dad swept his arm under my legs and lifted me, apparently seeing a need to carry me to the bed as my legs were not getting me there. "You don't need to sleep. Just try to get a hold of yourself."

"Roy, don't tell her to get a hold of herself."

"Why not? She needs to."

"How would she know she's acting odd when she's hazy like this?"

"All the more reason to tell her."

Dad put me on Maes's bed and Mom kept arguing with him as she climbed on next to me and Dad layered some blankets over us. Mom snuggled her arm around me all cozy and claustrophobic and told me, "Just relax," a couple times. Dad sat at the edge of the bed and reached over Mom to pet my head.

"Hey, easy there," he said. "Keep crying like this and you'll make yourself throw up."

"Not crying," I sobbed. I sniffed. Oh, dang. I hadn't even noticed. "Not crying that much," I corrected. I buried my face in my mom's shoulder and sniffled. "Turn out the lights. Turn out the damn lights. Everything's white and I hate it. I hate it!"

Dad ran and flicked the lamp off for me. "I like sunlight better anyway," he said.

Mom cuddled me under her arm and kissed my nose. "Come on, Nina. Breathe. Breathe. Deep breath."

The more I tried to listen out for my sobs, the more plugged my ears felt. Everything was just getting blocked. Somewhere along the way, my voice murmured, "Really love him, Mommy. Just want him back."

"I know," she hushed. "I know."

And I couldn't do a thing. I felt Dad's big hand brush my head again. "We're with you, Nina. Daddy's here."

Had to admit that was nice coming from his smooth voice. I grabbed his hand from my head and held really tight to it, a little excessively. "Don't go."

"We're here, Nina," said Mom.

Dad squeezed my hand. "We're here."

I squeezed his hand back and I didn't loosen until my eyelids dropped.

…

Banging, a rattling banging noise, getting louder and faster with every moment. At first I thought I was still dreaming, that maybe a few haunting memories of Ling's Philosopher's Stone were pounding inside my skull, trying to get out. But no. This wasn't in my head. It hurt my ears too much. Shook my heartbeat with its bass. I opened my eyes in the dark. "Mom?"

"Go back to bed, sweetie." Her voice was pretty eerily hushed.

"Should I transmute it open for them?" Dad whispered. "If they don't have a key, they're probably a friend."

"Then why don't they say so? Don't get too cute with your alchemy, Roy. Remember what Maes said."

I sucked my lip. Maes. "Is he back yet?"

Dad patted my arm. "Soon, Nina. I'm sure we'll see Maes soon."

The banging got louder. I heard the bed rustling, felt weight come off of it as my dad stood.

"Roy! What are you…?"

"Doesn't hurt to stand up, does it?"

"Someone's at the door," I said.

"Riza, do I need to turn the light on?"

"My gun's still under my pillow. Think you can get to it in the dark?"

Dad chuckled quietly. "Not sure I should be fumbling for a gun in the dark, dear."

"The safety's on," said Mom just a little sour.

I squirmed under the covers. Too warm. Too warm underneath with me sharing my parents' warmth the whole nap. My head ached from crying earlier and this pounding on the door was getting painful. "No lights," I said. "Head hurts."

Mom stroked my face. "Hush, Nina. Go back to sleep."

"Don't tell her to go back to sleep!" Dad hissed. "Someone is trying to break in and…"

The knocking dropped. For a split moment, pure silence. Then, a gruff voice from the other side saying, "What have you got, boy?"

A trembling kind of voice with those adolescent breaks in it said, "Just something I picked up at the Palace. Need to put it with the rest of the Amestrian trash."

"We were ordered not to make any more moves," said the gruff guy, kind of raising his voice. "We have who we need. Yao called the rebellion off in the Palace over a month ago. What were you even doing there?"

"Saw him go in so I followed."

"You followed this man in?" This older guy did not sound happy. "Without invitation? Were you seen?"

"Look at him. Don't you recognize him?"

"I asked if you were seen."

"I need to put him in with the others," said the younger guy. "Do you have a key?"

"What did Yao say when you presented your prisoner?" The older guy laughed gruffly. "Or are you here to hide the evidence? Why not just kill him?"

"I'm telling you, he's important," said the younger guy. "Look at him."

"He's Amestrian."

"Look at his left foot."

There was a pause. "It's metal."

"I overheard an Amestrian woman call him 'Ed.' Do you know the full name of the Amestrian who helped Ling Yao gain immortality? 'Edward Elric,' the boy with metal limbs."

I sat up in bed sluggishly and laughed to myself. Oh, wow. Now I'd heard it all. Mom shushed me.

"Edward Elric?" said the older guy. "You blew your cover to bring home a prisoner you decided was Edward Elric? You put all of your clansmen at risk on a hunch?"

"Just look at him! This is him. He's the man Yao's been wanting to kill since before I was born. I couldn't just leave him."

"Then why don't you present him now?"

A pause.

"Who saw you, boy?"

Silence.

"Were you followed?"

"I don't think so."

The older guy laughed. "You don't think? You took this man from the Emperor's Palace. Some of the best warriors in Xing are positioned at his gates. If you left a single trace…"

"I covered my tracks until the halfway mark. Same as always."

Silence. A gruff sigh. Jingling keys. Scraping at the lock.

"This pathetic sack of bones?" laughed the older man. "You think he's Edward Elric? You compromised our position to brownnose Yao with an opportunity at revenge on one Amestrian? I should turn you over."

"Yes, I know, Father."

The door clicked, creaked slightly as the handle turned. A little dim light came in from the hallway as the door cautiously opened. A silhouette of a short man held the door open for a shorter man dragging a tall man. Couldn't really see any of their faces. Just blurry figures. The shorter man pulled the tall body past the door and dropped him there in a limp heap. He left the body on the floor and hurried back through the door with his father. They swung the door shut softly behind them and I could just barely hear the older, gruffer voice say, "Your little problem can't stay hidden forever, son…"

The body on the ground moaned. "Don't call me little."

* * *

REPLIES!

SavFFLover: Yay for a thousand reviews! I realized after you said it that I got my thousandth review on my 90th chapter :O Yay for round milestones! I was a little happier than the moment deserved :P

PhantomhiveHost: Maybe you should take some aspirin...

mixmax300: Had a friend who liked to make out in front of me to make me feel awkward. Not friends with her anymore.

pitstop96: I was never going to kill Ed. Come on. He's the main flipping character of the series. I don't mess with the series. But I couldn't tell any of my readers that :S

KTrevo: Aw, thanks. Evoking emotion is a main goal for a writer, if not THE main goal.

Harryswoman: Oh, golly. I gotta check that out!

author12306: Yay! I hit the 'slightly less depressing' mark!

NightTimeSparkle: My gosh, Author! Using all this summary instead of constant scene? We thought we had three weeks and now it's sixteen days! Pick a pace already.

BloodyCookie: OH! It's you! Ok. I was like, 'Where's otakgirlyy and who's BloodyCookie? Sounds yucky to eat.' Or is it like, "Hoy! Hand over the bloody cookie or I'll beat you to death with crumpets!"

ArtistIn Training: Haha, aw! All this love. Ain't fluff magical? Glad you like it :)

longlivemarshmallows: Wow, you had a lot to catch up on :O Haha, Nina and Maes would have the coolest bromance if Nina was a dude.

Hawkstang: *Not entirely sure I'll be able to limit it to a perfect hundred, but I am trying*

ChaosHasCome: AW! Thanks, I really appreciate that. Actually, I do write a lot of my own stuff. Fanficking has just been an outlet to practice holding myself accountable (writers tend to be lazy). Flame Legacy's depth was a happy accident. I'd originally meant for it to be super low key, mostly light hearted and comedic, and posted weekly at best with a smaller audience than its predecessor. Hm.

Awsome anon: I hope it didn't sink in too much that I'd killed Fullmetal ;P

Illovebooks: Good to have you back :D

elricstriderlovechild: Aw, that sucks! You poor boo. I don't have trouble breathing unless I move around too fast or too much. I mostly based the lung thing on my youngest brother. He was born on time, but he still has weak lungs and had to be hospitalized all over the place when he was really little. I woke up the other night and heard him coughing and wheezing in his sleep. Pumped him full of meds, popped him in the tub to cool him down. nearly had to take him to the ER. My personal issue is the keeping on weight thing. That problem is one I can write about from experience. Ugh.

MUFFINS-with-MAES: Hhahahaha! ROY sauce! Can't get over that. Wow, you're really going to town. Seriously, your reviewing rate is impressive.

DayZeroFlash: YES! They are quite short at times. I accredit that to the daily posts (which I had been keeping up with until very recently. Now I've been getting sick and stuff so I've been a little more lacks about my daily update rule. I hope to keep chapters a little more swollen from now on because of that.

SiilverLit: I love it (as you know)! I wanna put it in my trailer. Can I please do that? I'll totally give you credit!

Brain-chan: You know what? I think you tuned in at a good time.

Nikkome Konno: Well, Maes does love his daddy. It makes sense he'd fall for a girl who had a similar temperament to Ed.

very-chan: Nothing like a good corn joke...


	92. Chapter 92: Wrapped with a Bow

Author's Note: There you go. Let me help you up from that cliff.

MUFFINS-with-MAES just added a HILARIOUS addition to her collection of fanart. I have links on my profile to get to her deviantart. I'll put up a direct link to the new stuff later. Look for 'Lactaphobia' and 'Corn-tastic.' ALSO, author12306 sent me this great pic of Nina done on some kind of website where you customize stuff. I have that up on my deviantart. Link also found on my profile.

No replies tonight. I spent all my free-time making the chapter long. Gotta sleep, but thanks tons for your reviews. I've looked forward to your reactions for a long time. You can't have a Fullmetal fanfic without Fullmetal, now can you?

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Chapter 92: Wrapped with a Bow

There was a heavy silence.

"Lieutenant," Dad said. He took a breath. "The lights. Now."

Mom climbed over me and jumped out of bed. "Sir!"

"Hey," I said, "that s-sounded like…" My teeth were kind of sliding against each other wrong when I tried to speak words. "D-daddy…?"

"It's okay, Nina." His voice was smiling. The lights flicked on, filled our white room with blinding brightness. Dad laughed kind of airy and uncomposed like the shaky gasp before a sob, a little bit odd-sounding considering it was coming from him. "It's okay," he said. "Oh, God. It's okay."

"Oh, my God, it's…" Mom's voice broke part way and she had to stop talking to keep from crying. I watched from the bunk as my parents met in front of the closed door and dropped to their knees beside the heap of my Uncle Ed. The breathing heap of my Uncle Ed.

"Fullmetal," said dad. "Fullmetal, talk to me."

"Dammit," Uncle Ed croaked. "Murdered in Xing. Wake up in hell with this bastard. Afterlife's as cruel as the first one."

"Yep," Dad said with a sigh. "He's our man."

See? Uncle Ed recognized the stark white prison same as I did. I wasn't crazy. Not about our room looking like the Portal, at least. I drifted out from under the smothering covers and onto the white floor. Walked my bare feet across to my parents silently. Stood behind them as they fawned over Uncle Ed. Caught the paled looks of twisted grief on their faces at seeing what little remained of him. The dried blood around his mouth where he'd puked it at some point. The blood still trickling from his nose on down his upper lip from the strain of just being dragged around by the guard. The sunken in places around his facial structure, one part of his body that he hadn't been able to expertly mask with layers of clothes, a sulky frown withered from barely keeping food down for six years.

"Hi, Uncle Ed," I said.

Dad jolted in his skin a bit and Mom took a sharp breath. I had this bad rap of sneaking up on them. I'd always moved too quiet. Force of habit. Uncle Ed picked his head up a little, just enough so his eyes could shift to look at me. He looked past my dad, narrowing his eyes like he was having trouble seeing. I shoved between my parents and squatted next to him. I took his hand, breakable and soft as an old person's. His eyes relaxed and he smiled. "Hey there, kiddo. Where've you been?"

I shrugged. "In hell."

Uncle Ed laughed a less breathless version of how Maes laughed when Maes was sick. "I'm in too much pain to be dead. Where are we? Is Maes here?" His eyes looked around.

"He will be," Dad said, a little too quiet for his usual authoritative tone.

Uncle Ed noticed. His frail hold on my hand got pitifully tighter. "What's that supposed to mean? Where is he? Did something happen to him? How's his breathing?"

"No, no, it's not that," said Dad. "Maes is fine. He's an important hostage. They're not going to kill him. Trust me, Ed."

Uncle Ed's eyes widened. "Hostage? Who are these creeps? What do they want with my son? He never did anything to anybody! Why him?" Uncle Ed paused, breathed. "Did you just call me…Ed?" There was this kind of loud, obnoxious sob and Mom just barely smothered the rest with her hand over her mouth. Uncle Ed breathed short breathes. "What happened."

"Nothing," said Dad. "It's nothing. We just…"

"We thought you were gone, Ed," said Mom with a whimper still caught in her throat. She hadn't exactly been allowed to cry very much with poor Maes trying his best to grieve gracefully and me having emotional breakdowns on a daily basis. Now it was just all spilling out at once. Dad rubbed her back and she took the invitation to lean on him.

"Oh," said Uncle Ed softly.

"Yeah," I said, a little in shock and overly rational. "We got abducted right after Aunt Mei called and said you had a week left. All this time we thought you'd keeled weeks ago. Maes'll probably pee his pants when he comes back and sees you here alive and well."

Uncle Ed smiled. "When did they say he'd be back?"

I felt my muscles get stiff. Mom's crying faltered a little.

"Oh." Uncle Ed sank. "They didn't say."

"He was sick," I said. "Not going to lie, Maes was very sick. Got some kind of a flu or something. We thought we'd lose him for sure. But he pulled through and he's a lot stronger now. Up on his feet and speaking full sentences again. He's okay, Uncle Ed. Promise he's okay."

"Yeah," said Uncle Ed. "He's a real trooper."

"Really lives up to the name," said Dad.

Mom's crying stopped instantly. Didn't even sniffle. The room just seemed to freeze. Uncle Ed gave up the weak smile and just stared at my dad with his jaw slack. He blinked. He blinked again. He swallowed. "Thank you."

Dad looked away. Jeez. Who knew my dad had the physical capacity to flush up? Had that slipped out on accident? "Don't mention it," he said.

Uncle Ed managed a smirk. "No, I see myself mentioning it a lot."

Mom laughed at the look on my Dad's face. Dang cute. Uncle Ed was talking just as well as he had at his home in Resembool. He looked like hell, but at least he could converse without having to breathe between words. His issues weren't with his lungs like it had been with Maes.

I let go of Uncle Ed's hand to hug my arms around my knees. "Me and Maes always said once we saved your life we'd force you and Dad to make up. Now he's not even here to see it. No fair."

"We'll re-enact it for him when he gets back," said Uncle Ed. "You know, you're a lot of trouble, Nina. I went through a lot to keep my friends from finding out I was sick, and the first thing you do when we fill you in is go across the map spreading the news. It's a good thing I got jumped before I made it into the Palace because I have a bad feeling Ling was ready to kick my ass for not telling him myself."

"I'd like to do the same," said Dad. "Except one kick might just finish the job in your condition, Fullmetal."

"Hey, I was doing pretty well until that kid knocked me out at the Palace gate and dragged me across Xing. Trust me. Winry wouldn't have let me leave home if I'd been like this at the time." I tapped Uncle Ed's shoulder. He shifted his eyes onto me. "Yeah, Nina?"

"What happened?" I hugged my knees. "You were supposed to die without my help."

Uncle Ed raised his eyebrows. "Sounding a little arrogant, aren't we?"

I frowned. "I'm sounding like I just spent a month and a half thinking I was the reason you died. I'd like to hear about how it wasn't my fault after all."

Mom sounded worried for me. "Oh, Nina. Sweetheart."

"Okay," said Uncle Ed. "Well, actually, it wasn't without your help. Alphonse got to me with the copy of your notes just in time. We realized that you and Maes were probably still stuck in Xing with the Desert Rail shut down and you wouldn't get to me in time if nothing was done to keep me going. Alphonse sat down with Sophie for a while and they figured out some of the transmutations you'd drawn that targeted old wounds rather than fresh ones. They couldn't regenerate what had been destroyed or replaced by scar tissue, but Alphonse found a way to manipulate the scar tissue that was already there to glue me back together, in a sense. It was temporary, but it's lasted this long. I've just been taking it easy waiting for you and Maes to get back."

"Why are you here?" I asked.

Uncle Ed smiled. "My brother's wife had a baby a few days ago. The trains opened up last week. We figured since you were already in Xing it wouldn't hurt for me to pay a visit to meet the little lady."

"A girl?" said Mom all sweet.

"A girl," I groaned. "Poor Uncle Al."

"No," said Uncle Ed. "Alphonse loves it. I'll admit, having four Sophies running around the house would be the death of me, but Al's different."

"And his daughters aren't Sophies."

"Well, we'll have to wait and see about that." Uncle Ed's thin face grinned devilishly. "I keep scaring Mei with the possibility that Lan Fan might just grow up to be like her Uncle Ed. It is in her genes somewhere."

I blinked. "Lan Fan?"

Uncle Ed paused. His gold eyes greyed. "Yeah, I guess you don't know. You met Lan Fan, right? Ling's up-tight body guard?"

I bit my lip. Fought that smile. "Yeah. I met her."

"What about her?" said Mom.

Uncle Ed looked away. "During the first extremist attacks…there was an attack on the Palace. Lan Fan didn't make it. I was on my way to offer my condolences to Ling, but you know the rest."

"No," said Mom. "She was so young."

"Damn," said Dad to himself.

I couldn't handle it. Oh, dear God! I couldn't handle it. I rocked forward onto my knees and laughed, belly laughed, hugging my stomach and gasping for breath. "They named their daughter Lan Fan? Lan Fan? Oh, shit! I can't take it." I buckled and cracked up so loud it was rude.

"Nina!" said Mom. "Try to show some respect."

"No!" I said. "God, no. This is rich. You actually fell for all that crap, Uncle Ed? Wow, Ling has some tight lips. He didn't even tell Uncle Al. That's freaking adorable. Lan Fan Elric. Oh, that's just wrong."

"Nina," said Dad. "Speak like we don't know what you're talking about."

I giggled. "Lan Fan's not dead! Holy shit! Why do you think I was abducted? Some Supremist undercover as a guard spied on me splitting Ling's Philosopher's Stone to save Lan Fan. I turned her into a homunculus so she wouldn't die. Her left arm grew back and her body backtracked twenty some odd years, so she had to fake her death and lay low under a new name for a while so no one would figure out what had really happened." I shrugged. "But that Supremist spy figured it out and now his leader's demanding immortality." I chuckled lightly, maybe just a little bitter. "And Aunt Mei named her Lan Fan."

Uncle Ed was looking at me with this ghostly paleness, part of it from being sick, the other part from being scared. "You turned Lan Fan into a homunculus? With alchemy?"

"How else would I do it?" I said.

Uncle Ed gasped on a breath like he was getting squeamish about all this. He shook his head. "That's wrong. You can't do that. You can't mess with souls like that, Nina. Those are human lives. They may not have bodies, but…"

"Who asked you?" I said. I didn't realize my face was glaring so heavy until Uncle Ed showed some signs of gearing up to argue. Oh, sure. This was one of those things he took really personal. Yeah. See if I cared. I was going to heal his sorry ass before Maes got back. I was going to have Uncle Ed wrapped up pretty with a ribbon and a bow. I laid my hand flat on my heart. "You ready?" I smiled. "Yeah, me too. Just wait until the time is right."

Uncle Ed stopped looking ready to argue and just looked worried. He met Dad's eyes. "Your kid okay?"

Dad put his arm around my shoulders. "We've been locked in here a long time, Ed."

"Freaks me out when you call me 'Ed' like that."

"Bad habit," said Dad. "Maes didn't like me calling you by your State Alchemist title, so I had to switch over."

"Yeah," Uncle Ed sighed. "Something about the military. Always seemed to rub that kid the wrong way."

"I'm sure you had nothing to do with that," said Dad.

Uncle Ed laughed weak. "I may have referred to you as Fuhrer King Bastard a few times around the house."

"How patriotic of you."

Uncle Ed got this distance in his bony expression. "Sophie got a month of Saturday detentions when she slipped up and called King Bradley 'That one-eyed son of a bitch, Wrath,' during a debate in her sophomore government class. I was so proud."

"The year before I became Fuhrer, I was called into the principal's office for Nina. Apparently she'd had a man-to-man dispute with her first grade teacher over Fraternization Laws in the military."

Mom nudged my dad. "Oh, I remember that! 'No, Miss Branch. Pretty sure my parents are married.' Oh, Nina, you were adamant."

"Yeah, because I was right," I said, folding my arms. "Dad came in thinking I'd flipped out over being left behind again and then he ended up having Miss Branch lecture him about how it was his fault for not explaining things better to me about my origins or something. Next thing you know, Dad's getting flustered trying to explain your weirdo marriage to her in front of the principal without revealing anything classified. Oh, it was beautiful."

Uncle Ed laughed kind of tired. "Education system in Amestris is a piece of work. Wish our Fuhrer would do something about it."

Dad glowered. "It's not that easy, you know?"

Uncle Ed grinned, chuckling. "Whatever you say, Fuhrer King…" He coughed. His grin morphed into a teeth-grinding grimace. He closed his eyes and coughed again. There was a slosh in the back of his throat and he choked on it. Drips of dark red seeped between his teeth. Uncle Ed spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor beside his head. He panted, staring wearily up at the ceiling. "Damn it."

Dad paled. "Fullmetal?"

Mom scooted closer and gently laid her hand on Uncle Ed's shoulder. "Ed, what can I do?"

"Talked a lot," said Uncle Ed. "Laughed too much. Been dragged around. It's nothing. It's…expected."

"This is the kind of thing you expect?" said Dad.

Uncle Ed didn't hesitate. "Regular basis."

"Then stop talking," said Dad kind of prickly. Dang. Way to get peeved at an invalid for being sick.

"No, it's over," said Uncle Ed. "Just laughed a little too hard for a second."

Dad got that frustrated look, the one he used to get when I'd insist on putting my shoes on the wrong feet and double-knotting the laces. Mom saved the day, though. "Edward, why don't we get you to a bed? I'm sure the floor's not very comfortable for a man in your condition."

"A man in my condition," said Uncle Ed, "is always uncomfortable. Just be gentle, okay? Al's repairs are starting to wear out. I can feel it. Doesn't feel good."

"Understood," said Mom. "Roy?"

Dad nodded. Those two had done their share of getting wounded men off the battlefield. They knew how to do it gently.

"No 'princess style.'" said Uncle Ed, scowling at my dad.

"Agreed," said Dad quickly. "Riza, get his legs."

Uncle Ed bit down on a wince as Mom and Dad shifted him around and Mom held the weight of his legs from under the bend in his knees. His automail creaked. Painful just to look at it.

"Wow, Ed," said Mom. "You're even taller than the last time we saw you."

"Only by an inch." Uncle Ed clenched his fists as Dad got him upright. "I stopped growing…" he took a sharp breath. "Stopped growing before Maes turned three."

"Ha!" I said. "Check it out. Maes and Uncle Ed were marking their heights on the wall together until Maes was three!"

Dad was straight-faced. "He said he stopped growing before Maes turned three."

"How old were you when you stopped growing, Dad?"

Dad didn't answer, apparently concentrating a lot on picking Uncle Ed up 'gently.' He pretended to be frustrated as Uncle Ed cringed silently at being lifted, but I knew my dad's eyes. He had that unstable guilt in them, the kind that could get either really passive aggressive or really hysterically remorseful, whichever came first. He was looking at his friend and blaming himself like he always did, except with Dad it wasn't so much blaming himself. It was taking responsibility for all of it. That meant, even when it was someone else who'd screwed up, Dad considered the end result his fault for not preventing the screw up in the first place.

They laid Uncle Ed down carefully, really carefully, but he still looked in pain as they did it. He put his hand on his stomach like he'd been punched in the gut and just laid like that for a while. He closed his eyes and opened them onto my dad. "You going to answer the question. I'm curious too. How old were you when you stopped growing, Colonel?"

Dad frowned. "I'm the Fuhrer of Amestris."

"And I'm the Fuhrer of the Elric residence." Uncle Ed's dull eyes had some twinkles imbedded in them. "How tall are you now, Mustang?"

Mom looked at my dad kind of tight like she was in suspense. She knew the answer.

"I suppose I was in my late teens when I stopped growing," said Dad. "I never really kept track."

Uncle Ed smiled. "But what did your last medical report say? I'd like to know how tall you have to be to call a fifteen year old kid short."

Dad snickered. "Not very tall if that fifteen year old kid was the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Uncle Ed scowled. "Say that again. I dare you."

"Five-foot eight," said Mom. "Roy's five-foot eight, Edward."

Dad whipped his gaze at mom kind of like she'd betrayed him and he'd gotten his feelings hurt. Uncle Ed smiled giant and devilish like he was ready to laugh like a sadistic person.

"Five-foot eight, huh?" Uncle Ed said. "Well, isn't that interesting. Seems a guy only has to be taller by about four inches to call another guy short." Uncle Ed raised his eyebrows all smug at my dad. "And I happen to be six-foot, Fuhrer King Pipsqueak."

Mom rolled her eyes knowingly.

Dad sank down to the edge of the bed and sighed a little exasperated. "How long have you been waiting to say that to me?"

Uncle Ed laughed. He shouldn't have been laughing with his stomach all delicate and torn. But he laughed. "Aw, don't feel bad. Maybe if you drink your milk you might grow a little more." Uncle Ed cracked up. Mom had to turn away again. Uncle Ed caught his breath then laughed out, "Fuhrer King Pipsqueak!"

"Congratulations, Fullmetal," said Dad. He rolled his eyes as Uncle Ed continued to laugh.

Mom patted Dad's back. "If that's not closure, I don't know what is."

Dad glared. "Whose side are you on?"

Mom smiled kind of overly innocent. "I didn't realize this was a competition."

I stepped up to Uncle Ed, got close enough to touch him. I knelt on the floor and stuck my elbows on the mattress. I leaned and watched him continue to strain himself chuckling and carrying on with my parents. I watched his nose begin to bleed again. I cocked my head.

"Hey," I said. "You're making it worse."

Uncle Ed looked at me, seemed startled I'd gotten so close without him noticing. He swallowed down some laughter, wincing. "I'm okay now, Nina. You don't have to worry."

"No," I said. "You're going to throw up again. Blood all over Maes's sheets."

Uncle Ed's laughing and happy look went away. "How can you tell?"

"It's fine," I said. "Keep laughing. Get as sick as you want. Get really sick. Go on."

"What are you…?" Uncle Ed coughed, his stomach heaving under his hand. He swallowed it down. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Get sick as you can, please." I shrugged. "I'm going to need a pretty credible excuse to use them on you of all people. I think it's time. Maes'll be back any minute. I want you wrapped pretty with a bow."


	93. Chapter 93: Super Happy Death

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. Sick and not getting better fast enough. No replies tonight :(

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Chapter 93: Super Happy Death

Mom quit mopping the blood smeared around Uncle Ed's mouth and jerked to cup her hand under his chin. She pressed her hand between his shoulder-blades to give him a slight incline and he retched up another mouthful of dark red drizzles into her cupped palm. She mopped all that up and set him down to start wiping the dried stuff off his mouth again. No idea why she was doing it. He'd already thoroughly ruined his shirt and coat and every time she cleaned him up he just made another bloody mess. Really nothing much left to preserve on him as far as keeping him tidy.

Uncle Ed panted. He smiled, completely drained. "Think I overexerted a little?"

"I don't think this is happening because you had an exciting conversation, Edward," said Mom.

Uncle Ed rested his eyes. "I know." He clutched his stomach and winced. "Damn it."

Dad and I watched from the side-lines. Not useless. Just otherwise occupied.

"How will you do it?" Dad asked softly.

I sucked my lip. "Been thinking about it from different angles. I have fourteen…" No, Nina. Nine's gone. "I have thirteen souls left besides mine. That should be more than enough to heal him as far as I can tell. Even so, I can't afford to assume. I'll aim to prolong his life. That's the main objective. Once I reach that point, going further to heal him completely will be a judgement call."

Dad nodded. "Will you be alright to make that call? It's not that I doubt you, it's just…"

"I know, Daddy. I've been pretty out of it lately. You have the total right to worry, but…" I patted my heart like petting a trusty old dog. "But a life-force is one place my mind can think like crystal. I'll be okay." I rested my hand. "I've got fourteen…" Oh, wait. Nine was gone. "I've got thirteen awesome buddies who really hate the idea of Twenty-one getting hurt."

Dad looked down at me just silent. He stared really longingly and stuff, the same face he'd had on when he used to drop me off at Gracia Hughes's place on his way to the Command Center. My eyes would well and I'd tell him I wanted to go to work with him and Mommy. He wouldn't say a thing. He'd just stare down at me with that look, the look that told me he'd never send me to my room as long as I lived because leaving me at the Hughes's all day while he was at work was hard enough.

He put his hand on the top of my head and let his mouth smile. His hand was so freaking big, like wearing cap. He met my eyes. "Alright. Show me what you can do."

I smirked. My dad was so cool. I led the way to Maes's bed and just about shoved my mom out of the way. She acted kind of like she'd protest, but then Dad came behind her and got her shoulder. He whispered something and she decided to step back next to him. Uncle Ed stared up at me kind of sluggish and unfortunate. I bent over him and got to work unbuttoning his red-splattered shirt.

"Hey now," he said kind of croaky. He used up some energy lifting his arm to grip my hands from messing with his shirt. "What's the big idea? Mustang, you said you wouldn't let her mess with me."

"I said I wouldn't let her try anything while she was unstable," said Dad. "She's stable."

Uncle Ed still looked skeptical. I sat next to him and pushed his hand from his buttons. "It's okay, Uncle Ed. You're not in any danger. I get that I've been less that clearheaded lately, but I know how to transmute, rain or shine. Promise I won't kill you, got it?"

Uncle Ed narrowed his eyes. "You said a minute ago you needed a good excuse or something. It sounded like a last resort to me." He scrunched his eyes shut and grabbed his stomach long enough to swallow down a gag. His body shuddered.

"I think you're entitled to a last resort, Ed," Mom said. Uncle Ed peeled his eyes open at my mom and she stared back at him. "Let my daughter do what she needs to do."

Uncle Ed moved his gaze onto my dad. Dad nodded. Uncle Ed looked to me. "I need to be around when Maes gets back. Think you can make me last that long?"

"Uncle Ed…" I bit my lip. "I intend to make you last a lot longer than that."

His forehead wrinkled up. "Al's patch-job wore out and my stomach's torn to shreds inside. It's a big job. If your transmutations get too adventurous, you could rebound."

I undid his buttons. "I'll be careful. I'm good at this." I bit down hard on my lip as I opened my Uncle Ed's stained shirt. That had to be the ugliest scar I had seen in my life. It was so bruised and mangled under his skin that it could've been an open wound. The thing was bright purple with black blotches spreading out as wide as two of my dad's fists. Looked like pieces of Uncle Ed's flesh were decaying under his transparent skin. It made me sick to look at it.

"That looks painful," said Dad like an idiot.

Uncle Ed's stomach muscles tensed like they were trying to heave. He swallowed hard and glared at my dad. "No kidding."

"Hey," I said, nudging Uncle Ed's shoulder. "Just breathe. Old wounds hurt worse than the fresh ones."

"Yeah," said Uncle Ed, rubbing his stomach. "I figured that out when Al healed me."

"He didn't heal you," I said. I clapped my hands together. "He glued you back together. Time for the real thing."

Uncle Ed closed his eyes. I dropped my palms against his ugly stomach and felt his muscles heave. I sensed it. Even without expending my friends' life-forces, alchehestry could sense the carnage of dead insides, bleeding everywhere into places that shouldn't have been bled into. It was so strong. This guy should've died a long time ago. He was already filled with death. Touching him was like sinking into a rotting corpse.

"Ten, Eleven," I muttered. Brothers. The ones who'd been really little like me. "Match his rhythm. Let's save our Uncle Ed, okay?" I'd picked these guys special to start off with. Shyest kids in the entire lab. They knew how to tip-toe. They'd make it into Uncle Ed smooth and gentle. They'd handle him with care.

I pressed down on Uncle Ed for a moment. I heard kind of a whimper come out of him, sissiest sound I'd ever heard the poor guy make and that was just me trying to match the rhythm of his life-force. I kind of whimpered myself as me and the boys matched his flow. Dang it! Even his life-force smelled like death.

'Twenty-one,' said Ten. 'Hold tight.'

He was right. As rotten as this life-force was, it seemed pretty dang easy to get smothered in it. It was bashing me like a rough tide and I could barely swing my head around for air. We stumbled onto the extent of Uncle Ed's old wound too quickly. I felt sick. The death had spread so far. His flow was diseased with it. Eleven latched first.

"Eleven," I said, "destroy the bridges."

Eleven's soul got right to work eating away at the rims where the humidity of the old wound was leaking into Uncle Ed's blood. Outside his life-force I could hear Uncle Ed groaning.

'Let's go fast,' said Ten. 'Uncle Ed's suffered enough. Let's finish it fast.'

'Agreed!' said Eleven.

I pushed my palms onto the center of Uncle Ed's damaged insides, creating a direct route. I breathed, ignoring his moaning and groaning and just focusing on pinpointing, not wasting time. "I need four," I said. "Two at a time. Ten and Eleven will purify his force. I need one of you to channel through my right hand and the other through my left and…" I breathed. "And the other two of you I want to stand by so I can use you as soon as the first two run out. I need a quick transition. Let's do it while Ten and Eleven are going strong."

It was at that point I sort of realized how wise my friends had been to squabble over who got to save Uncle Ed, because the roles had already been decided and Sixteen's soul was pouring into Uncle Ed's scar from my right hand and Twenty was pouring into him through my left. Uncle Ed's voice groaned kind of muffled like he was gritting his teeth as I led my friends into the most vulnerable injuries in Uncle Ed's entire body. We destroyed and regenerated with the soul energy I directed through my hands. Uncle Ed's body thrashed under my hold. Something made him hold still. Probably my dad.

I'd healed pre-existing tissue before, but never regenerated lost tissue, nothing like this. It was using Sixteen and Twenty up faster than I was comfortable with and I had to be unexpectedly purposeful and quick with every action I took in order to utilize their energy to their best. Still, touching the places inside Uncle Ed that were missing a piece of the puzzle, feeling the pieces that remained and mimicking them to regenerate a complete puzzle, matching the newly created tissue to pulse to the same beat as Uncle Ed's heart, feeling his life-force flow in and out like unkinking a hose…This was what my souls were meant to do.

'Thank you, Twenty-one,' said Sixteen, her voice tapering.

"Next one," I said. "Now!"

I said goodbye to Sixteen as she dissipated and Thirty took her place. Thirty's soul was fresh and he felt strong in my hand. Soon Twenty faded and Twenty-four was fresh in my other hand. I breathed. I breathed deep. The humid stench of death was starting to smell clean like the air after snow.

I opened my eyes and let them focus on Uncle Ed's stomach. Around my hands, between my fingers, everywhere! Perfect skin, not a hint of bruising or ugly damage. I didn't even see a scar. Uncle Ed was breathing quick and short, but he wasn't groaning anymore.

'Done,' said Eleven. He and Ten had held on long enough to see Uncle Ed's life-force through, but they were gone now.

'Goodbye, Twenty-one,' said Thirty, drained.

'Goodbye, Twenty-one.'

'Thank you, Twenty-one!'

I straightened and lifted my hands off of Uncle Ed's new stomach. My friends had really held on for me. If I'd attempted a stunt like that with them a few months ago, I might've used up all my reserves and still not finished healing Uncle Ed. I folded my arms and nodded. "And that's how we get it done."

Uncle Ed stared up at me, his mouth hanging open. "What did you…?" He shut his mouth quick like he'd startled himself with his own voice. Not surprising. He sounded strong. He stared up at the bunk above him with wide eyes like he was afraid to look as his hand drifted to where his scar used to be. First he brushed it just barely with his fingertips. His eyes got bigger and his hand slid until he'd lowered it flat on his belly. He rubbed gently from side to side at first, but gradually applied more pressure until his hand was pressing very hard against his stomach with no sign of soreness or pain in his face. He dared to sit up a little then he sat up a little more. He sat upright and stared at my handiwork.

"Fullmetal," said Dad with a chuckle, "breathe."

Uncle Ed took a sharp inhale and panted like he'd actually forgotten for a sec. He shook his head, eyes still locked on his new stomach. He put his hand on it again, this time not to test it but to appreciate it. His breathing faltered and he smiled sort of unsteady like he wasn't sure what expression his face wanted to make. "Nina, you…"

"I healed you using my life-force," I said. "Or, I guess with my life-forces. Turns out that lab in Drachma combined my life-force with twenty nine other subjects'. Kind of like a Philosopher's Stone except just a little less on the abusive side."

Uncle Ed scrunched his hand on his belly. "You healed me using human souls?"

I really couldn't have cared less if Uncle Ed had an issue with it. My friends had just had super happy deaths and there was nothing he could do about it. I smiled. "They've wanted to heal you for a long time now. They wanted their lives to mean something and you meant something to them. They called you their Uncle Ed." I looked down at myself. I sucked my lip. "It's not like any of us chose this. It's just the way it is. We're trying to make the most of it, you know?"

Uncle Ed looked at his stomach again. He wiped the old blood of his face with the back of his sleeve and met my eyes. "Just what is your life-force, Nina? What do the Supremists want with it? Why is Maes giving his life to hide it?"


	94. Chapter 94: Past, Present, Future

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. Not dead yet. Just sick.

Group reply: Being sick drains the fool outta me and you guys have been sending so many awesome-opossum reviews that I can't reply to all of them every chapter. HOWEVER! I will say to all of you, thanks for the encouragement, laughs, get-well-soons, insights, suggestions, fanart, and everything else! I really do appreciate it. Writing is fun, but it's still a commitment. Thanks for cheering me on :D

Okay. I'm going to sleep. Enjoy this lengthy chapter :D

* * *

Chapter 94: Past, Present, and not much Future

Uncle Ed looked way healthier when he came out of the shower and walked in wearing one of Maes's clean shirts and a pair of his trousers. No blood, injury, or ailment in sight. Just squeaky clean, skin and bones, anaemic as anything, withered Uncle Ed. He came in with a half-full glass of water in his hand. He'd been chugging the stuff since I'd healed him a few hours ago, making up for all the lost fluids from barfing blood all morning.

He sat down silently on Maes's fresh bunk. Mom had changed the sheets while he was showering. If I'd had blurry eyesight or something, I might've thought he was Maes sitting there. I mean, besides the fact that Uncle Ed wore his hair really long compared to Maes's cropped cut, the two had almost exact silhouettes at this point. Tall, frail, and gaunt in their clothes. They even sat with the same posture, that kind of confident hunched look that said they weren't being sloppy by accident.

Uncle Ed continued to sip his water as he watched me come over with a freshly opened can of corn. I stopped in front of his knees and held it out to him with a spoon stuck in. "Eat up."

Uncle Ed wrinkled his nose. "Corn?"

"Yeah. Problem?"

"I guess not," said Uncle Ed with a mopey sigh. He took the can from me and fiddled with the spoon. "Just not a big fan of corn. But if that's all we've got…"

I felt my jaw drop a little. "What, are you serious?"

Uncle Ed blinked. "Yes."

"But Aunt Winry cooks corn every meal." I put my hand on my hip. "It's, like, a thing in your family."

Uncle Ed rolled his eyes, chuckling. "It's a thing we do to get Maes to eat. The rest of us can't stand the stuff. Don't get me wrong. I loved corn when I was a kid, but having it three meals a day every day for eighteen years is just ridiculous. I'm so tired of corn that I don't think I'd miss it if I never saw it again."

I put my hand out for the can. "Let me get you some real food, Uncle Ed. It would be a pleasure.

Uncle Ed had taken almost an hour to say a single thing after I'd explained to him about my life-force. At first it kind of ticked me off and altogether just hurt my feelings, but then he came up and patted my shoulder and said I'd done the right thing. He said I obviously knew more about the whole deal than he did and he trusted me to keep on doing the right thing. He said he was proud of his son for not being a closed minded idiot who tried to stop me from doing what I knew was right. I didn't really bother going into how much of a closed minded idiot Maes could be at times. Seemed like bad form.

Still, as okay with the situation as Uncle Ed made himself out to be and as clear as it was to me that he really did see it as the right thing, I noticed he couldn't seem to help rubbing his stomach every few minutes at the spot where my six friends had gone in and hadn't come out. The pain that had been killing Uncle Ed had been healed completely, but he still felt the lingering soreness of six sacrificed souls pulsing through his veins.

Dad offered Uncle Ed some canned stew that kind of resembled watery dog food. Uncle Ed accepted it after my mom said the protein and iron from the chunks of beef would help him recover his strength faster. "I haven't been fit to eat a decent meal in over six years," Uncle Ed said. He looked into the depths of the sketchy brown slop. "Winry said she'd make me whatever I wanted for my first meal after I was better. Guess she'll have to settle for first meal when I get home. I'm thinking Mom's quiche with a mountain of thick, bacon wrapped steaks on the side."

Dad practically drooled. "I'm in."

"Sounds like a recipe for heartburn," said Mom from across the room.

"Sounds worth it," Dad whispered.

Uncle Ed smiled like he was looking into a brighter future. "And we'll have apple pie every night for a month."

I shook my head. "Maes will want her to make corn casserole, and you know he'll win her over."

Uncle Ed glared. "A man can dream, kiddo." Uncle Ed turned to my dad, a little side-tracked. "Speaking of Maes, what time is it, Mustang?"

Dad seemed hesitant pulling out his watch. Looked to me like he'd probably checked the time a few times behind Uncle Ed's back. Looked like it was later than Dad wanted to own up to. Dad flicked his gold-plated pocket watch open and looked down at the ticking face without expression. He looked at Uncle Ed and said clinically, "It's a little after four in the afternoon."

I caught Uncle Ed's fists clenching. His jaw tightened. "How much after four?"

Dad looked at the watch. He looked up. "Twenty after."

Uncle Ed scoffed, setting down the untouched can of gross stew. He stood, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, twenty after four. That really constitutes as 'a little.' Jeez, Mustang. It's not like you ever bothered to protect me from harsh realities before."

That seemed to sting my dad in a bad way. He sank a little. "He'll be back, Ed."

Uncle Ed always flinched a little when he heard my dad call him by any name besides his State Alchemist title. He didn't say anything. It was kind of weird watching my dad and Uncle Ed, the occasional momentary switches in their tones, the subtle expressions they'd take on at certain harmless comments. It was like they had a lot of stuff that didn't get said through their sixteen years of not talking to each other and by now it was just too late to make up for it.

They seemed to relate pretty dang well in spite of that sixteen year stalemate in their friendship, but my dad really was almost fifteen years older than Uncle Ed. You couldn't get rid of the fact that Uncle Ed was still kind of a kid compared to my father, a wise kid, but still a kid. And, observing them, I got the sense that my dad had taken a while to figure out how to adapt to having a child as a subordinate back in the day. If he'd even adapted in the first place. Maybe that was why they were able to slip into being friends so easily despite the age gap. Dad really hadn't known how to see kids as kids before he met me. He really hadn't sheltered anyone until I'd given him a wake-up call. Weird to think about my dad as anything less than overprotective.

Uncle Ed sat down on the bed and picked up the can of lukewarm stew. He shifted it in his hand, playing with the label. He looked at my dad. "You said he was gone for almost seven hours last time."

"Yes," said Dad.

"What time did they take him away yesterday?" said Uncle Ed.

Dad's eyes shot down like he was having trouble meeting Uncle Ed's. "He's been gone twenty two hours and forty seven minutes last time I checked." Jeez! Dad had been keeping track the whole time? "But this isn't the same situation as last time. The first time they took him away was only for a conference with their leader. When they took him yesterday morning Maes implied that he'd be constructing the automail outside our room. He could be gone the full sixteen days."

Uncle Ed nodded strong. "And then they'll kill him for being a fraud."

"I told my daughter I wouldn't let that happen," Dad said in his serious voice.

Uncle Ed paused. His gaze drifted and his mouth melted into a light smile. His eyes narrowed with subdued bitterness. "Hate to break it to you, Mustang, but you're no one's Fuhrer in here. What you tell your daughter doesn't mean anything to anybody."

Dad watched silently as Uncle Ed scooped the meat in his can and grimaced as he put it in his mouth and chewed it down. Uncle Ed kept eating it, though. It was the best food for him at this point. Gosh. He'd eat that nasty junk without a word but put up a fight every morning when Aunt Winry had served him milk with his breakfast.

"Nina," said Dad, "go clean up. Things are stable enough around here for you to steal a shower and get on some clean clothes now."

I forced a smile. "Well, if you don't think you'll need me…"

"Go," said Uncle Ed. "I'm perfectly healed. Just trying to regain my strength. I don't need you for that."

"Thanks," I said. No fair. Just when the eavesdropping was getting interesting. Mom was so lucky. She was in perfect earshot across the room while she folded fresh laundry and piled up the bloody stuff to wash in the tub later. I looked down at my clothes where I'd gotten some of Uncle Ed's blood on them and sighed. Those stains weren't coming out.

It was weird accessing my life-force like I usually did when I was washing up. There were now only seven of my friends remaining inside me. Just seven. So few I could actually make out what different ones were saying when they'd get excited and speak all at once. With so few left, all those grandiose plans me and Nine had come up with about stunting life-forces and escaping an entire Supremist army just seemed dumb. No, not dumb. Impossible.

I stepped into the room, wringing drips off the ends of my hair as I walked. Damn bangs had gotten so flipping long. I just wanted to cut the living fool off of them sometimes. Sometimes I saw them like curtains, long inky curtains blocking out the white with cascades of jet black. Black shadows squirming through a sea of white, eating my ankles and…

"Nina?" said Dad.

I blinked. "Hi."

He seemed a little concerned like he and Mom had been doing lately. "You doing okay? You were just standing there."

"Does my hair look like hands to you?" I asked.

Dad knit his brow. "How do you mean?"

Uncle Ed appeared from Maes's bed. "Your hair's not uniform enough to resemble the arms reaching from the Portal. Don't be an idiot."

"Oh," I said. "Okay." Dad and Mom both looked over at Uncle Ed and stared. I pushed my bangs out of my eyes. "Hey, I think we should have lunch and make up a super successful plan or something."

"Sounds great," said Uncle Ed. "I call the peaches!"

We sat on the ground together with Mom and Dad exchanging those, 'Here she goes again,' glances. Uncle Ed sat with his back against the frame of my dad's bed for support. He planned on getting a decent nap as soon as we'd gotten the lunching and the planning out of the way.

"Well, Nina," said Uncle Ed, mouth slightly full. "You suggested we make a plan. You get to go first."

Mom interrupted. "I don't think so. Nina tends to be a bit on the self-destructive side when it comes to escape plans." She turned to me. "I vote we avoid using her life-force at all costs."

"Here, here!" said Dad.

"I'd like to agree," said Uncle Ed, "but I'll leave it up to her. She knows what she's doing."

Mom and Dad frowned at Uncle Ed like he was setting a bad example or something. I folded my hands on my lap and fiddled with my fingers. "Then, I guess that makes four of us. It's unanimous. I won't be using souls."

The room was silent except for a kind of a startled murmur from my Mom. She, Uncle Ed, and my dad looked at me, puzzled. Wow. Was my ability to be rational really that foreign to the three of them?

"You…agree?" said Dad, keeping his voice calm.

"I know my limits." I shrugged. "I had to give up six of my last thirteen souls to save Uncle Ed."

"Six?" said Uncle Ed.

"You turned out to be in worse shape than I'd realized," I said. "I'm just glad I knew what I was doing this time. I could've used myself up if I'd done it as a novice." I looked at my parents. "Anyway, with only seven of my friends left to help me, I don't think there's any chance I'd be able to pull off my original plan. Seven souls just aren't enough to stunt as many life-forces as we'd need debilitated to make it out of this place clean."

Uncle Ed looked down. "I don't like the sound of 'stunting' life-forces as it is."

I folded my arms, a little underappreciated. "Yeah, well, for a girl who'd rather not have to live with killing people, stunting forces sounds like a pretty damn good option. These aren't pre-schoolers we're dealing with, Uncle Ed. The only reason I'm not going to use souls is because I don't have enough of them to make a difference. Well, not enough of a difference to be worth revealing my abilities to Bob."

Uncle Ed looked at me funny. "Bob?"

Dad shook his head. "It's what she calls the leader of the Supremists."

"You said he called himself Yao."

"Yeah," said Dad. "And Nina calls him Bob. Please, just don't question it."

"Hm," said Uncle Ed. "I'm beginning to understand why our kids get along so well."

"About this plan," said Mom. She glanced up to her bunk where she had her gun stashed. "They left us our weapons, Ed, as a method of intimidation. Maes explained to us how overwhelming their numbers were and how the mountain area of this base is nearly impossible to navigate."

"They let you keep your weapons to throw it in your faces that escape attempts are useless." Uncle Ed nodded. "Actually sounds effective."

"But what they don't know," said Dad, "is that Maes is no longer dependent on the oxygen and can make it out of here alive if he has to. Wrecking his automail to the point where it was dangerous to move him was their main tactic in keeping us here. Now he's just faking sick until he has some kind of an out."

"That's right," said Mom. "And they don't know Nina's an alchemist, either. Only two guards know Edward's here last we heard, and both of them are under the impression that Edward is still too sick to be a threat. We may be outnumbered, but we're also underestimated."

Dad smiled at her. "Never underestimate the power of being underestimated."

"That should be a greeting card," I said.

"Hey, Nina," said Uncle Ed. "You been working on any other alchemy besides manipulating life-forces?"

"Well, sure. Basic stuff."

He looked at me straight. "How about fire?"

I sucked my lip. I looked at my knees. "I can create flames just fine, but I can't direct them for anything. I snap my fingers and then there's a big hot burst. That's it."

"But she can do it when she's soaked," said Dad.

Uncle Ed's eyes widened. "Wait, she can transmute fire on rainy days?" He laughed. "A fire alchemist who isn't useless when wet. I never thought I'd see the day."

"I'm not useless!" said Dad. "I just have to switch my gloves out for dry ones every few minutes. Nina doesn't need gloves to transmute. That's all I'm saying."

"Yep," said Uncle Ed with a sigh. "I never needed gloves to transmute either. Your abilities crippled the moment your accessories gave out on you. Weren't those the days?" Uncle Ed said it cheerful enough, but his eyes were cold bringing up 'those days'.

I expected Dad to retaliate, but he just stared at Uncle Ed like he'd stumbled onto unstable ground. "Maes will be back, Ed."

Uncle Ed's mouth turned down.

"Ed, do you want some more food?" Mom asked.

Uncle Ed shook his head. He met my eyes. "Did your dad ever tell you the story about the day we met?"

"Nope."

"Makes sense," said Uncle Ed. "Maes told me they'd kept everything from you. My kids know that story by heart. Sophie tells it better than Winry, and Winry was there." Uncle Ed smiled pretty distant. "I was eleven years old and I'd just failed at resurrecting my dead mother. My right arm and my left leg had been ripped off my body and my little brother was a giant suit of armour. I'd never been so sure in my life that things couldn't get any worse."

Mom put her hand on my shoulder as if to keep me close. "Edward, you don't have to—"

"Maes told me that part," I said. "What else?"

"Well," said Uncle Ed with a chuckle, "that's when your dad barged in and decided it was a good time to jump to conclusions and shout at an eleven year old amputee for creating the most traumatic experience of his young life. He actually grabbed me by my collar and lifted me a couple inches out of my wheelchair with only one of my arms still hooked in a sleeve so he could make it absolutely clear that what I had done was unforgiveable."

Dad didn't say anything, but I could tell by the way his eyes had narrowed and the way he was shifting his teeth that he really wanted to.

I tapped my hand on my leg. "Dad was only a few years older than me back then, huh?"

Uncle Ed looked a little derailed. He mulled it over. "Guess he was." He looked at my dad. "Don't worry, Nina. Mustang came to his senses before things got too messy. He saw what I'd done to Alphonse and all the sudden committing the taboo wasn't something to scold me about. It was a credential. He quit shouting and manhandling me and offered me a position as a State Alchemist instead." Uncle Ed smiled at me. "So, about ten years later I get word from Central that Mustang just got married and has adopted a little girl. I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh a little at first. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't pity you every time I thought about you. I never could wrap my head around the Colonel being a nurturing father. Imagine my surprise the day Mustang shows up and tells me _I'm_ not protecting _my_ son well enough."

"Wow," I said. "Maes didn't tell it like this at all."

Uncle Ed didn't seem to be listening. He held my dad's stare, his gold eyes cold and hard. "It was just like the first day we met. He came into my home, jumped to his own conclusions, and shouted in my face about all the heinous sins I'd committed in raising an unsheltered son. Then, six years later, he hears the whole story and all is forgiven just like the first time. Thing is, I don't remember saying I forgave _him_ either of those times. I don't remember it being such a bad thing when the Mustangs said they didn't want to see the Elrics ever again. What I do remember is going six years with my son saying he's going to get me better. And at the end of those six years I woke up to your faces." Uncle Ed glared at his lap. "I swear, Nina, if your dad tries to tell me he's going to 'protect' Maes one more time…" He clenched his fists. He breathed. "I wonder how he treated you when you were eleven."

I shrugged. "He treated me like a little girl." I scooted closer to Uncle Ed. "Forget my dad, then. I'll be in charge of protecting Maes. Hell, now that you're better you can just eat lots of nasty stew until you can protect Maes yourself. Give the word and I'll bust him out. I'm kind of an idiot when it comes to impulses, so I'll be totally cool with it."

It took a moment, but Uncle Ed smiled. Not the bitter, passive-aggressive kind, but the one where he was genuinely feeling a little better for that moment. He patted my head. "Thanks, kiddo. I'll let you know."

When he walked away to sit alone on Maes's bed, Uncle Ed took a can of nasty stew with him, taking my advice.

Mom patted Dad between the shoulders as his face sank into his hands. "This is horrible," he groaned. "I'm an idiot."

"You were a lot younger back then, Roy," said Mom softly. "Ed knows that. He just needs someone to be angry at right now. Let him be angry at you."

"He wasn't just referencing that one day," said Dad. "That story was just an excuse to delve up everything else I screwed up."

"Whoa, Dad," I said. "You've screwed up a lot more than what Uncle Ed just listed."

Dad peeked up at me. "Thanks, sweetie. I appreciate that."

I smiled. "But Mom's right. I may not know Uncle Ed like you do, but I've had the benefit of having spent time with him more recently. He didn't forget about you, Dad. He actually missed you. You may not realize it, but when he said all that crap about you just now, he was actually kind of opening up to you, you know? I mean, he was finally breaking past the small-talk and acknowledging you. Uncle Ed doesn't really do the mushy stuff without masking it with anger. Just the way he works. You know that, right?"

Dad blinked. "Yes. I do know that." He smiled just a little. "Thanks, Nina."

Mom laughed to herself. "Yes, thank you, Nina. For a moment there, Roy looked like he was ready to jump out of a window."

Dad looked Uncle Ed's way. "A ten story window. Damn. Was he really just eleven back then?"

"You were twenty five," said Mom.

"Ed was married with two kids in school by the time he was twenty five," said Dad.

"And you were a colonel."

Dad raised his eyebrows at Mom. "Yeah, and a hero from the Ishvalan civil war." Everything seemed to have negative connotations when those two mentioned Ishval.

Mom held his gaze. "And that."

"Wow," I said. "I better start accomplishing stuff. I'll be twenty five in a few years."

"Four years," corrected Dad.

Something inside my head clicked together different and I felt my lips purse. I played with my thumbs nervously. "How old am I?"

There was a pause. Mom spoke, "Nina, you know how old you are."

I shook my head and I didn't stop shaking it. "I don't know anything. I forget. It's been forever since I left home. Did I have a birthday?"

Mom looked at Dad. He met her eyes then looked at me. "No, Nina, you haven't had a birthday since you left home. It hasn't even been four full months yet. You're still twenty one."

I swallowed. A smile broke across my face and I laughed. "That's right. I'm still Twenty-one."

Mom nodded. "Twenty one."

I bit my lip. "Hey, Dad, if Uncle Ed's eighteen years older than me, then Maes was born when he was twenty one. But you're fourteen years older than Uncle Ed and Uncle Ed calls me and Maes 'kiddo.' So, are you Uncle Ed's father or are you his Uncle, because fourteen and eighteen aren't that different when you think about it. Wait…that's wrong. Can I start over?"

"Hey, Mustang," Uncle Ed called from his bunk. "I think your kid's broken."

"Save it, Fullmetal," Dad said. He tried to get me to meet his eyes. "Nina, you okay?"

I shut my eyes and dragged my hand over my face. I exhaled. "No, sorry, I was thinking out loud. That probably sounded totally mental. I'm fine, Daddy."

"You sure?" he asked. Asked it like he was hoping I'd say I wasn't sure.

"I'm fine," I said. "Pretty dang embarrassed, but fine."

Mom leaned on her knees, her brow crumpled. "That's what goes on inside your head?"

"Nope," I said. "I think of tons of stuff besides my age. Trust me. I'm not that crazy."

Mom started talking again, but my eyes got caught on Uncle Ed. He was sitting there with his feet on the ground and his left leg spread a little from his right. He was rubbing it at halfway down his thigh, this look of discomfort on his face. I stood. "Uncle Ed?"

He looked up. "Yeah, what?"

"Your leg."

He looked down at his left leg. "Yeah, I've been too weak to walk on it lately. Winry didn't see much point in maintaining it with all it put me through. We'd actually talked about taking it off for a while."

"Just sore?" I said.

"Yeah," he said.

I sucked my lip. "You sure?"

He furrowed his brow. "Yeah."

I looked around at the walls, those damn white walls. Damn white walls! Not a window in sight. Not a single opening. No escape from those flat vertical walls. I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming and listened to the silence in the room.

It came subtly at first, but my ears definitely tuned into it once I caught the sound. Yep. I heard rain. That distinct splatter coming from somewhere. It was somewhere close. Was it the wall opposite the door? Yep. Had to be. The other side of that wall led to outside and I could hear raindrops pelting it.

"Uncle Ed, does it…?" I bit my lip. "Does it feel a little like storm-sickness?"

Uncle Ed's casual massaging and lazy glances turned vigilant fast. He straightened, eyes widening as he listened for the rain himself. "When did it start…?"

I whipped my head around to look at the door. I could hear it. I could hear that distinct groan. I'd heard Maes's muffled moan plenty enough times to know it when I heard it. Uncle Ed stood up from the bed.

A gruff voice shouted to another guard from outside the door. "Hurry up. If anyone walks by and sees Edward behind that door…"

The door clicked as it unlocked. "I know, Father. I'm going as fast as I can."

Maes groaned again and the gruff voice hissed for him to shut up. "Lazy Amestrian bastard. Got what was coming to you."

Uncle Ed clenched his fists so tight his fingers paled.

"Ed!" said Dad. "Get down. If they see you they'll know something's up. You're supposed to be dying."

Uncle Ed held his ground. "Don't tell me what to do."

The handle turned.

Dad stood. "Ed!"

"That's Maes's voice," said Uncle Ed. "I can hear him. He's in pain."

"And if you don't lay low the guards will take you away as soon as they drop him off."

Dad took a step forward. Uncle Ed glared at him, but followed his advice and sat back on Maes's bed where he'd hardly be seen. The door opened. Maes stumbled through. The door slammed shut and locked behind him. Maes dropped to his knees and held his stomach. The left side of his face was bruised fresh like he'd been hit with something. He doubled over and started dry heaving like he'd barfed up the contents of his stomach a while ago and had been going through the motions on empty ever since.

Uncle Ed bolted up. "Maes!"

Maes looked up as his dad bounded over to him quicker than any of the rest of us could if we'd tried. Uncle Ed squatted in front of him and held his bony body through the retching shivers. Maes regained himself and tried to focus his bloodshot eyes. I watched as his gaze got wet and he blinked tears. "D-daddy?"

Uncle Ed smiled. "Who else would it be?"

Maes took a sharp breath and sniffed. It clearly took some effort for him to lift his arms enough to hug Uncle Ed. I could see in his tight expression that it caused him pain, too. Uncle Ed caught on fast and pulled Maes into his arms. Looked like two gold-haired skeletons holding onto each other.

Maes clung to his dad; seemed almost too tight for his brittle hands to be clinging. He tried to talk, but he kept having to grit his teeth through the storm-sickness. He took a breath. "How…?" He shut his mouth and muffled a groan. He took another breath. "H-how did you…?"

"Don't talk, kiddo," said Uncle Ed, too soft for me to tell whether he was crying too. He rubbed Maes thin back. "We'll explain everything. Just stay still. I'm right here. You're not on your own."

Maes hunched to hide his face in his father's shoulder. He smothered a sob. Thunder rumbled outside and the sob morphed into a long groan. Maes pulled an arm off of Uncle Ed to clutch his stomach. Uncle Ed kept rubbing Maes's back, comforting him just like I'd seen him do in Resembool. The reunion was new, but the nature of it wasn't.

"It's okay, buddy," said Uncle Ed. "Go ahead and scream. I've got you now." He leaned his cheek against Maes's sweaty head. "I've got you, Maesy."


	95. Chapter 95: Tempestuous Reunion

Author's Note: I am feeling strong! Good thing, too. I agreed to look after my youngest brother for the week and he's got a cold. He's got those weak lungs, poor boo. Well, I'm busy with him, but he rests a lot, so I had time to dish out a chapter. Ta-da!

* * *

Chapter 95: Tempestuous Reunion

Thunder crashed so close by that I swore I could hear the lightning crackling as it struck. Maes gasped. The hand on his stomach pressed hard and the hand Uncle Ed was holding squeezed tight. Uncle Ed wiped a few drops of sweat from Maes's brow with his thumb. Thunder crashed again. Maes shut his eyes, a sharp whimper escaping his throat. He squeezed Uncle Ed's hand tighter.

Uncle Ed pulled the sheets over Maes's trembling body. "Separate yourself from the pain, buddy. It'll be over soon."

But that seriously wasn't likely. Maes had barely been back for five minutes and the storm had already picked up more. From what little Maes had been able to get out as Uncle Ed and my dad got him onto his bed, the storm had been building for some time before the guards actually decided to let him come back to our room. According to Maes, he'd already vomited nine times in the workroom by the time the guards came in. He said they'd thought he had the flu or something contagious. They wouldn't have let him off so easy if they'd known it was storm-sickness.

Maes's glassy gaze panned around the room. "Nina?"

I peered over Uncle Ed's shoulder. "Present!"

Maes quivered into a relieved smile. "Saved him."

I grinned back nice and smug. "Hell, yeah. And with souls to spare. You've got yourself a healthy daddy, Maes, just like I promised."

Maes brightened and his mouth moved like he was beginning to say 'thank you,' but I heard a rush of heavy rain pelt against the building and Maes found himself unable to talk again. He inhaled sharply and launched into fast, panicked breaths. Uncle Ed put his hand on Maes's cheek and said, "Slow down, Maes. Deep breaths. Don't stress your lungs."

I watched Maes's face gradually crumple in pain as he forced his breaths in and out at a controlled rate. Uncle Ed counted up to ten as Maes inhaled and down from ten as he exhaled. Maes's breath shook as he fought to maintain the drawn out pace. The rain fell harder and Maes faltered back into the frantic gasps. Uncle Ed stopped counting and rested his hand on Maes's arm. "Deep breaths, Maes. Deep breaths."

Maes managed to gain enough control to say, "Thirsty." His face twisted with pain and his hand curled over his stomach. He coughed a couple times then gagged and his body writhed and contracted as it tried to throw up a stomach full of nothing.

"Not a chance," I said. "Sorry, Maes, but I'm thinking you'll just puke up whatever we put in you at this point. Better wait until the storm blows over, am I right?"

Maes looked up at his Dad with big, scared eyes. "Please," he sputtered.

Uncle Ed looked back at his son and swept his golden bangs from his clammy forehead. "I'm sorry, Maes. Nina's right. The heaving won't stop if you encourage it. You know that." He sighed. "Tropical storms like this are different from the ones in Resembool. They're stronger and can last for weeks in the right season." Maes groaned at that last bit. Uncle Ed took Maes's hand as another blast of thunder rippled through the air. He quickly took Maes's other hand by the wrist to keep Maes from grabbing his stomach too hard. "Easy bud. Separate yourself. It's not your pain."

"Could've fooled me," I muttered so only me and Mom heard. Mom shot me a look.

"Thirsty," Maes whimpered. Poor guy had spewed up all his fluids twenty times over. Must've been so thirsty it hurt. He looked to Uncle Ed pleadingly. "D-don't mind vomiting."

Uncle Ed held onto his hands. "I'm sorry, bud…"

Dad stepped forward. "For God's sake! You plan on denying the kid a glass of water because he's too sick to get it himself? This is ridiculous. It's cruel."

"He can't keep it down," said Uncle Ed.

"He doesn't seem to give a damn," said Dad.

Mom put her hand on Dad's shoulder. "It'll strain his body more than the temporary relief is worth and it could flush out any remaining electrolytes he's managed to keep. I know it's hard, but just let Ed handle it. He's done this before."

Dad narrowed his eyes like he used to do when the therapists would tell him to stop coddling me, just let me cry alone. I looked up at him. I tapped him on the arm to get his attention. "Hey, Dad, want me to chug a few glasses in a row for you?"

He stared at me. His eyes became heavier and more rational. "So, that's it."

See, my dad had actually been really affected when it came to light that before he and mom rescued me from the lab, I'd been denied water as a form of keeping me in line. I never really understood what about that particular form of abuse and neglect got to him more than the others. I had plenty of scars that seemed worse than a few bad memories of painful thirst. But something about that first year of me asking permission every time I wanted to take a sip out of my cup really stuck with him. Now Maes was begging for water and poor Dad wasn't allowed to give it to him.

I could see it on his face, how powerless he felt. Dad was the kind of guy who needed to know he could protect the people he cared about at all times. That was what had inspired him to fight for the position of Fuhrer in the first place. All those sixteen years Dad had assumed Uncle Ed and Maes were fine, they'd been in Resembool suffering and dying in silence. Now he was watching them through the storm and coming to realize that this was their natural state, how they'd been ever since he'd shut them out of his life. And he couldn't even bring Maes a glass of water.

"Nina," Dad said as another round of thunder rattled the walls. "Is there any way for you to…"

"No, Dad," I said. "If there was, I would've done it by now, but storm-sickness isn't something that can be fixed with alchemy. It's just something that has to pass in its own time."

I watched Uncle Ed struggle with Maes for control as Maes fought to grab his broken chest. Maes wrestled against his father's hold like his body was acting on its own as the storm intensified. I heard Uncle Ed tell him not to touch his automail. Maes nodded, but at the next blast of thunder his arms were fighting at grabbing his chest all over again.

"I've only seen him like this a few times," I said softly. "Never this bad."

"Good," said Mom. "It would be disturbing if this happened to such a degree regularly."

"He needs to at least try to keep something down," said Dad, staring toward Maes. "He can't be just dehydrated. He lost electrolytes along with the fluids. His muscles have got to be cramping so horribly right now he can hardly stand it. He doesn't need water. He needs vitamins."

Maes's eyes strained to look up at my dad. "P-please."

Uncle Ed hunched. "I'm aware of that, Mustang, but I just can't. Give it an hour and he'll be ready to start trying. Don't let those wet eyes get to you. He does this every time."

Had to admit, Maes had begged for water during his storm-sickness back at Xing Palace and I'd given it to him by the pitcher. He'd puked up every glass almost as soon as he got it down. Puked so hard his nose had started bleeding out of both sides and his eyes had gone bloodshot.

Uncle Ed continued to restrain Maes's hands and soothed him in all the ways none of us had been around to learn when Maes was growing up. Of course, one of those ways was familiar to me. "Let me tell you a story," said Uncle Ed. "Try to focus on that, Maes." Distraction.

I sat down at the foot of the bed next to Maes's feet and hunkered down to listen to a bunch of stuff Uncle Ed had already told me. He started off telling Maes about exactly how he'd managed to stay alive even though I hadn't come to Resembool on time. That story continued into coming to Xing to meet the new baby. After Maes managed an amused smile about Aunt Mei and Uncle Al's name choice for their fourth daughter, Uncle Ed told him the details about how he'd been captured by a hot-headed Supremist after being recognized. He finished by giving Maes a few details about how I'd healed him. Not much. People really didn't see very much worth telling about from outside the life-force.

After Uncle Ed had finished, Maes tried to look at me and said, "How many?"

"Six," I answered.

Maes scrunched his eyes closed and shut his mouth tight through another thunder-induced groan. He took some heavy, recovering breaths. He opened his eyes. "S-seven left?"

I thought about it for a second. Nine was gone days ago, so I'd had thirteen to begin with rather than fourteen. Thirteen minus six equals…Six is two threes put together, right? Well, that's thirteen minus three equals ten minus a second three equals seven. Seven, right? Had he said seven?

Mom put her hand on my shoulder. "That's right, Maes. Seven souls left in Nina's life-force besides her own. We talked about it already, and we came to an understanding. Remember, Nina?"

"Uh, yeah." I gave a smile. "Definitely, Maes. I forgot to tell you I'm not using my life-force anymore. Not while we're still captured, anyway. Maybe some other time to help people or something stupid like that, but right now it's just a risk not worth taking, am I right?"

Maes swallowed. "Right." He smiled briefly. "Right." Thunder rippled and he gulped down a gag. He shivered and looked up at his dad. "Just want to hold it in my mouth. Don't have to swallow."

"No," said Uncle Ed. "Because you always swallow. You say you won't now, but I know how you work. You won't be able to resist once you've got it in your mouth, Maes, and then you'll unsettle your stomach all over again and we'll have to restart the clock from the beginning. Give it fifteen more minutes. Fifteen more minutes and we can try starting you on a teaspoon every twenty minutes."

Maes nodded submissively like that compromise actually seemed reasonable. Seriously? He'd been waiting for water for coming up on an hour. Now he was supposed to wait another fifteen minutes for a teaspoon of it and wouldn't be getting another dose for another twenty. I remembered getting a lot of bugs when I was a kid from never building a good immune system during my time in the lab, and I remembered my mom holding off on a lot of food and stuff so I wouldn't make myself sicker. It made sense back then. But seriously, if I'd been this sick, my parents would've taken me to the hospital to have me put on an IV or something. This was nuts.

I looked down at Maes. Oh. "Hey," I said. "Did Aunt Winry usually hook Maes up to an IV in these situations?"

Uncle Ed nodded. "But that's not an option right now. Just give it fifteen minutes."

Maes forced a shaky smile, his eyes opening into droopy slits. "I'm okay. No need to…" He cringed, fighting against Uncle Ed's hold to get a hand on his stomach. He gave up and panted through the heavy rain. He shut his eyes. "No need to worry."

I folded my arms and sulked. "Who's worried? I never said I was worried." I caught everyone smiling at that one, even Uncle Ed. Dumb idiots. I just didn't like being singled out as the worried one. Was that so bad?

Maes stopped fighting against Uncle Ed's grasp on his wrists and let his hand rest limply over his dad's. "So glad you're okay," he said weakly. "I…"

Uncle Ed tightened his grip as Maes bared his teeth and squeezed back through another wave of the storm. Uncle Ed's gaze was weighed down like his eyes couldn't lift from Maes if they tried. "I know, Maes." He smiled. "I know exactly how you feel."

The fifteen minutes passed and Uncle Ed finally gave Maes that spoon of water he'd been begging for. Of course, Maes vomited it back up at the next crash of thunder, but he just smiled and muttered that it was worth it. After that Uncle Ed had Maes do this thing where Maes would clamp his mouth shut every time he felt pukey so he could swallow the contents of his stomach back down every time it forced its way up into his mouth. It sounded disgusting to me, but Uncle Ed assured me it was the best way to go because at least this way Maes wouldn't be losing anything even if he wasn't necessarily gaining either.

Had to admit, I was a little bit jealous of Uncle Ed during that storm. I mean, I got that it was wrong for me to be jealous. Uncle Ed had been dying for six years and Maes had thought he was gone. For me to be jealous now that father and son were finally having a much deserved reuniting fest? I was a bitch. But even knowing that, I couldn't help but hate the fact that Uncle Ed was the one holding Maes's hand—both of his hands—through this storm and not me. I'd honestly been convinced Maes might not make it back to us alive. I'd been so terrified of that possibility that I'd just about lost it. I had lost it. I'd thrown asparagus at the door and shouted at my parents. Nina Mustang just didn't do stuff like that unless she was wigging out. Whatever. There was still a place for me to sit with Maes. At the foot of his bed. Next to his feet. Best seats in the house.

The storm had calmed down considerably after a couple of hours. We'd gotten right in the eye of it close to halfway and there had been a few dicey minutes where Maes had been unable to hold back from screaming. But once that was over, Maes just kind of shivered and moaned under the covers until the waves of pain got few and far enough between for Uncle Ed to stop restraining him. He'd been keeping water down for the most part and had graduated from twenty minute intervals between sips to ten minute intervals. Yay.

Maes lay curled up with his fingers still clinging loosely to his dad's hand. He sniffed against his pillow. I couldn't think of many sights right then that could be sadder than pain horrible enough to make a grown man cry. Uncle Ed's expression crumpled and he touched Maes's cheek lightly with the backs of his curled fingers. "Your mom does this so much better than I do."

Maes shook his head, tightening his grasp on Uncle Ed's hand.

Uncle Ed patted Maes's tensed fingers so that Maes's hand was layered safely between the two of his. "Is it starting to feel like it's done?"

Maes nodded.

"How's your breathing?"

Maes's gaze slid up. His lips parted wearily. "Automail's broken, but I'm okay. I can get by on half-function. Just doesn't feel good. Have to move slower."

"No need to move, kiddo," said Uncle Ed. "Not right now. Just rest, okay? Try to sleep."

Maes smiled. "No, think I'll stay awake. Think I'll watch you and Mustang pretend to get along for a while."

Dad looked over from where he'd been waiting around on his bunk with Mom. Uncle Ed actually smiled. Kind of smirked. "What makes you think I'd bother to pretend to get along with that bastard?"

"That's what you do," said Maes. "You always pretend nothing's wrong when you know I'm looking." Maes let his eyelids rest. "Then I pretend I believe it and we both feel a little better."

Uncle Ed looked pinky, tight in his bony shoulders, the first time I'd really ever seen him look self-conscious about anything. He glanced back at my dad, his eyes darting too fast for anyone to really catch it unless they had a good look at his face. Something about the fact that he'd tried to protect Maes from the truth about his condition made him embarrassed.

"So," said Dad, "I guess you weren't such a negligent parent after all."

"Yeah," said Uncle Ed. "Well, I still say you were overprotective. Don't count on me taking that one back." His gaze shifted to me and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Though, I guess you could've done worse. Your kid's a real piece of work. Maybe she needed some overdone boundaries here and there. Who could say?"

Mom and I exchanged a look. That had almost sounded like a mutual apology.

"Did you just call my daughter a piece of work?" Dad said.

"You called me a negligent parent!" said Uncle Ed.

"I was taking it back!"

"Yeah, but you sounded surprised."

Dad sighed harshly. "Can you blame me? No matter how grown up you get, you're still Fullmetal."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Uncle Ed, taking raw offense.

"It means you professionally worry everybody," Dad said.

Uncle Ed rolled his eyes. "Oh, you do care."

"I care about all my subordinates!" said Dad. He stood. "The only difference with them was they actually took orders. They let me protect them."

Uncle Ed turned all the way around to face my dad. "I could take care of myself."

"You just said a few hours ago that I should've treated you more like a child!"

Uncle Ed stood. "I was angry!"

Dad glared. "You were right. You nearly died from an old wound I didn't even know about until four years after you retired. But none of that matters, because even if I'd been standing there ordering you not to go in alone, you wouldn't have listened to me."

Uncle Ed stuck his hands in his pockets. "I never said that was your fault. It has nothing to do with you."

"That's right," Dad chuckled bitterly. "Of course it doesn't. Nothing ever does. Those are the exact words you used the day Riza and I left Resembool for good. You said how you raised your kids had nothing to do with me."

"It doesn't!" said Uncle Ed. "You said it yourself. My kid turned out fine without any of your advice."

Dad's glare had been tightening gradually and now I could see a clear look of hurt in his narrowed eyes. His voice came out steadier now. "Yes, he did. You're a great dad, Fullmetal. But Maes wasn't the one I was worried about that day."

Uncle Ed looked a little thrown off, his eyes narrowing as they locked with Dad's.

The hurt showed through my dad's eyes more visibly now. "Take a look at my daughter. She's the most loving, accepting, honest person I've ever met, but she's also the most fragile."

Thanks?

Dad looked down. "That day I saw your two year old son performing transmutations far beyond what should have been possible for a child his age. The last time I'd seen a child that small performing advanced transmutations, the child nearly burned her hands off her wrists in her sleep and exhausted her life-force so heavily that I thought I'd lose her."

I sucked my lip. Mom met my eyes.

Dad sighed. "I didn't doubt your abilities as a parent and I didn't think Maes was doing something wrong by performing alchemy. I just…" He looked at me in a wounded way, like he was reliving the fear of losing me. He looked away. "Riza and I had spent two years trying to make that nightmare disappear, but Nina still stayed so close to the edge. I just didn't want Maes's abilities to reawaken something in her that was best left dormant." I watched as Dad forced himself to meet Uncle Ed's eyes. "I know it's not the same, but you of all people should understand what it's like to go through every day with the fear of losing your child."

Uncle Ed flinched. Maes did too.

"I'm sorry about what I said that day," said Dad, "and I'm sorry for never trying to contact your family again after it happened. I didn't understand what was going on with Maes at the time." Dad's dark eyes morphed to less hurt. He covered the depth with a hint of smugness. "But in the end it doesn't matter because I remember trying to explain my side to you before we lost our tempers and you wouldn't listen. I don't think you know how to listen. Not to me, anyway."

Uncle Ed blinked. His face was pale and expressionless like he'd totally frozen in the moment. I watched his fists twitch a little and his mouth opened. "Yeah, well, you're short and useless on rainy days!"

The room was silent for a moment. Then I felt Maes bump my elbow with his toe. He smiled. "Hey, Nina, did you see that? Our dads just made up."

I patted his foot all wrapped up under the sheet. "I saw."

Uncle Ed turned his head to us. "What are you talking about?"

"Our bucket list," said Maes.

Mom laughed first. She laughed in that soft way that never sounded stupid. Then I heard Dad laughing with her.

Uncle Ed looked a little flushed. He frowned at Maes and me. "You're too young to have bucket lists. Stop being so morbid."

That was enough for Maes. He got caught up in my parents' laughing. He hugged his stomach like it hurt to laugh, but he couldn't stop laughing. That made me laugh. Uncle Ed finally just sat down and chuckled to himself. He reached back and ruffled Maes's hair. "Weirdoes."

* * *

Actually have time for REPLIES tonight!

starclip: Poor Maes can't catch a break :P

Nikkome Konno: Nothing more beautiful than a detailed narration of an ugly cry. Love it.

mixmax300: 'Bob' is such a simple name. Almost makes it more insulting that way, haha!

NightTimeSparkle: Thanks! I was worried 'Maesy' would be too much, but it worked in the moment.

KTrevo: Nothing sweeter than a grown dude calling his father, 'Daddy.' Or it's just weird.

ArtisticFantasy: The Elric name has never really had it easy, now that I think about it.

pitstop96: Happy endings are the best *swoons at the concept*

Harryswoman: Just how you imagined it? I feel so accomplished :D

PointYourFeetAndCAPSLetters: Haha! I love how you said you _want_ to cry.

ZipTheArtsyFox: Yes! All your ages are right except for Riza's. She's actually four years younger than Roy in the series.

elricstriderlovechild: Haha, thanks. Love getting my readers pumped on emotions.

Awsome anon: Yep, I feel relieved and I'm the author :P

WinryElric24: Haha, cuz Mustang got to the top by getting people to underestimate him. Right? Get it? Heh.

Juliana Black Lichtler: Hahaha! Thanks. Glad it got you excited :)

PhantomhiveHost: Hm. I have to agree.

TheKingOfOkay: AWESOME! A while back I found this thing called a 'corn kit' at the grocery. You can mix it into basically any corn-related dish. I wanted it so bad, but it had gluten :(

sillymessycrazy: Haha, you're welcome. Thanks for the encouragement.

Hawkstang: Aw, you poor thing! I hate the end of summer. I like some aspects of school, but still!

Illovebooks: It's funny how jumbled it sounds out loud when you let your mind race. Poor Nina :S

bakacoconut69: Maes's fanfic-ghost is going to haunt grocery stores everywhere until the end of time.

Takara Rose Oizumi: Thanks. I don't know if it could not be sweet with those two :)

AlchemistLeigh95: Ed doesn't call Maes 'Maesy.' As far as he'll admit, anyway :P

SavFFLover: Crazy-thinking is awesome. That's what great plots are made of!

author12306: Sure, of course you can call me '4.' That's actually pretty nifty. And quicker to type.

maana999: Glad I've got you so relieved :D

guardian: Oh. My. Gosh. That was great! It's awesome getting to read a bunch of comments in a row from the beginning to present. It's like a recap episode or something. Thanks for the reviews. Glad you like it! Oh, and about your question on what gave me all my intricate ideas and stuff... The way crazy-Nina thinks is kind of like how I think; nonstop chaos. So, to keep my brain from running wild, I write stories in my head. Lots of them. All the time. So I guess I just have a lot of unwritten ideas stored up to inspire stuff with. Also, I love your t-shirt idea. Also, that's awesome about Owen. Micro preemies are heroes before they're even big enough to be held.

verry-chan: Can't beat a good 'useless when wet' Mustang face :P


	96. Chapter 96: Result

Author's Note:

1.) Some new stuff up on deviantart! A female Maes by author12306 and then a hilarious doodle by starclip. I'll put direct links later, but for now female Maes is on my deviant account and starclip's doodle is in my favorites. Link to my account's on my fanfic profile. More to come.

2.) The Flame Legacy trailer may not come together in time. I had it all worked out, but then I got sick and I didn't give myself any wiggle room. So, I'll still post what I've got (and the works of others) on deviantart, but if I do put the trailer up on youtube, it'll be totally rough. The whole reason I was going to do it in 'trailer' format in the first place was because I was experimenting animating things by hand a while back. I thought it'd be neat to animate Maes and Nina in different styles doing different things, maybe reciting some dialogue from the fic. Unfortunately, most of what I've done is incomplete or still very rough. The majority of the so-called trailer would be a slideshow. We'll see.

3.) SO! Just a reminder. I said a while back that I'd be sure to warn you when this fic was coming to a close. Well, it looks like it just might land at a perfect hundred. So, after this, count on four more posts (but no promises; gotta cover my ass). I'll warn you. That last chapter will be an OVA of sorts, but it's plot-related *see 'Babysitting the Boss Guy' Chapter 40* More like a bonus chapter than some random, unrelated schnitzel.

4.) After that... I'll be done. I'll still be working on that 'The Next Step in Life' co-fic with Ginger Kaga, but nothing solo. No big undertakings, at least not for a while. I've got a book I've been meaning to write, so I've gotta put my mind to that :(

5.) Okay, now that I've written that essay of an author's note, I don't have time to do replies. Sorry. I have to go watch Tangled with my little sister before she goes off to college D:

* * *

Chapter 96: Result

Maes sat down on the ground between me and his dad and started chugging down his fifth glass of water. My dad stared, pretty much disgusted. Maes set down the empty glass and wiped the residue off his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He caught my dad staring. "Something wrong, Uncle Roy?"

"Fifteen minutes ago you were sipping water out of a spoon." Dad looked at Uncle Ed. "Where's that discretion you were holding onto?"

Uncle Ed raised his eyebrows. "What, you think thunder is like a disease or something? Storm-sickness is exactly what the name indicates; you're sick the entire storm. No more, no less."

"So, you just bounce back?" said Dad.

Maes smiled. "Yep, usually."

I shuddered. "Trust me. I once saw this guy wolf down a bowl of fried rice at the Palace after suffering through over an hour of rain. So gross I could've died."

Maes looked at me. "No need to be dramatic."

"Hey, Mustang," Uncle Ed said quietly, nudging my dad with his elbow. "Our kids sure play nice together, don't they?"

Dad sulked.

Mom smiled at Uncle Ed. "Don't remind him. He's still having a little trouble letting go."

Dad groaned. "I'm having trouble getting used to my daughter dating the offspring of Edward Elric. It just seems wrong somehow."

Uncle Ed smirked. "What bothers you more? The fact that he's an Elric or that fact that he looks like me?"

"Do I have to decide between the two?" said Dad.

Maes was being pretty quiet with his eyes down like he was thinking about something besides what was going on in the conversation. He looked up and met Uncle Ed's eyes. "I've been thinking about something."

Uncle Ed stopped picking on my father and blinked at Maes. "What is it?"

"It's something important," said Maes. He hugged his knee. "You said the Supremists kidnapped you at the Palace because they recognized you."

"Yes."

"Right outside the Palace in front of everyone?" said Maes.

Uncle Ed seemed to be thinking his answer over. "Your mom had my chair parked in a blind spot to keep me in the shade while she showed the gate monitors our papers. It was low visibility."

"But you were visible," said Maes. "To some degree."

"To some degree, yes." Uncle Ed looked to Maes, his brow knitting. "Are you thinking they'll be sending out a rescue party?"

"No one even knew me or the Mustangs were at the Palace when we were taken," Maes said. "But plenty of people knew that you were supposed to be there and it's possible that some of them caught which direction you were taken or who took you. I'm sure Uncle Ling has half his guards out looking for you right now."

"I was out for a lot of it," said Uncle Ed, "but the young man who abducted me knew what he was doing. He covered his tracks."

"You think Ling's men won't be expecting that?" said Maes. "Don't forget, Lan Fan's still alive and if Ling knows you're missing, you can bet he'll have her leading the search."

"Maes is right," said Mom. She scooted closer in our circle. "We overheard an exchange between two Supremist guards before they locked you in with us, Ed. The young man that took you acted on impulse. It sounded like the Supremists had been given strict orders to lay low and his breaking of those orders was a rash mistake. Even if he did cover his tracks, he probably did a rushed job of it. The way he was talking, it sounded like he may have been pursued up to a point. That would mean Ling's men would already have a lead on the direction your kidnapper was taking you."

I pumped my fist into the air. "That means we're free! Uncle Ling and Lan Fan are busting us out of this white prison. Hell yeah!"

Maes took my raised victory-fist and pulled it down. "We shouldn't get our hopes up. It was only a thought I had. I just…" I watched him meet eyes with his father. He exhaled. "I just don't know how much longer I have before they take me away again. And I don't think they plan on letting me come back here to see you after that happens."

Uncle Ed shook his head stubbornly. "They don't get to take you away again."

Maes looked away. "I'm starting to get the feeling that Yao's bored with me. He's realizing that artificial organs don't necessarily make for an immortal body. He's seen what kind of suffering my automail causes me and I think he may be changing his mind as to whether he wants it for himself. The point is, I'm not sure we can even count on the last two weeks I was promised."

Maes was quiet for a moment. He looked away, got this look on his face, tensed with a mix of timid embarrassment and anxiety. He fingered the top buttons of his shirt and popped one open after the other. He undid a few more then pulled his shirt over his head once the shirt was loose enough at the top. I sucked hard on my lip. I heard my mom make a short gaspy noise. Uncle Ed's eyes widened with anger. Dad sighed in frustration but he didn't say a word. He'd seen it before.

Maes hunched self-consciously as the room stared at his blotched-up body, pale and trembling and bruised purple all over. The bruises were in shapes, too. You could tell by the boot-prints where he'd been kicked a couple times in the back, and the hand and finger marks were plain as day where he'd been grabbed too hard by the arm or shoulders. His automail was bleeding a little, rawer at the bottom edge than it had been when he'd left. So, he'd been hit in more places than the face.

It was actually kind of gross, the way his pale skin slid over his bruised bones as he breathed in and out. Maes looked at Uncle Ed apologetically. "The only reason they didn't hurt us before was because they wanted me to work with uninhibited enthusiasm. They were polite and accommodating at first, but they've gotten impatient. Now the guards are allowed to do whatever they see fit to hurry me along. Supervisors just turn a blind eye. Listen to me, all of you. It is very important that you understand this. If I had any leverage in this situation before, it's gone now. I can't protect you anymore." He looked at me softly. "That means no more calling Yao a jerk and no more calling him 'Bob.'" He looked at Uncle Ed. "That means under no circumstances are we to resist. Not even if they take one of us away."

"No," said Uncle Ed. "Not my boy. It doesn't end here."

"Dying," I said softly, "could be fun. Think about how colourful the grass must be in heaven. I'll bet there are colours there that we don't have in this life. And lots and lots of water in all the places that used to be filled with blood."

I felt their eyes on me. All of them.

Mom crawled forward to me like she thought something was wrong. "Nina, sweetie…" She hugged me in her thin arms.

"Nobody's dying!" said Dad in a kind of panicked outburst. "We'll figure this out. We always have. We've got three of Amestris's most notable soldiers in this room. We saved a country together. We can make it out of one extremist hideout."

"That's the spirit!" said Uncle Ed. "Except one of those notable soldiers is no longer an alchemist. That would've come in handy right about now."

Mom started arguing that a soldier didn't need alchemy to win a fight. Uncle Ed and Dad kind of begged to differ in this case. Maes curled his knees to his chest and hunched his face down. He looked pouty, all silent with his head bowed like that. But there was something in his eyes. I could just catch it with his face burying itself in his knees. When he blinked, he blinked slow like he was weary from the struggle, but when his eyes focused, they cut clean like knives. He wasn't looking at anything in front of him, but his gaze had this enveloping clarity that said he was seeing plenty in his head. It terrified him.

He didn't even need to look at me to sense me staring. He spoke in a mutter, just to me as our parents argued. "I've been ready to die all my life, but that doesn't mean I want to. I don't. I don't want to die. Please say you've thought of something, Nina."

Oh, the jerk! "Way to pin this on me, Maes. I already offered my plan and you guys begged me not to do it. It's too late, now." I folded my arms, grinding my teeth against the moody flush under my eyes. "Now if you keel it'll be my fault. As if I wasn't blaming myself enough already. You know, I never asked you to come back and rescue me. You could've just let them take me, maybe saved my parents and gotten the hell out of there if you really wanted to get involved that much."

"That's stupid," said Maes.

"You know what's stupid?" I looked at him, his bare, beaten body curled up with his spine jutting out so I could count every vertebra. "The fact that there are five of us in the room and the Surpemists haven't figured out they've been focusing on the wrong one. I wonder if it ever occurred to them that you might be covering for someone. Although, your trick with hiding the transmutation circles under your sleeves was impressive. It fooled me and my dad pretty good."

Maes uncurled a little. "It doesn't matter now."

"You got their attention without hardly having to try," I said. "I mean, you just clapped your hands together and said, 'It's me! It's me!' That was all it took and they totally bought it. They've probably forgotten all about me. I'm just a hostage. But if you hadn't distracted them, I'd be the center of attention right now, not you."

Maes sat up straight and said pretty loud, "That doesn't matter now." He shook his head. "Don't talk about it. Don't think it. Sorry I said anything."

But I did think about it. Oh, I thought about it big time. I mapped the marks beaten into Maes's body and traced them into mine. I memorized the way his skin pulled at his bones and tried to guess how it felt to be that skinny. I smiled, thinking back. I didn't have to map, trace, memorize, or guess anything. I knew what it felt like to look like Maes. I had my own map scarred into my skin. I'd once lived in a place where they kept us so thin we could barely walk some days. I'd barely made it past five-foot in my adulthood because I'd spent so much of my childhood trying to grow outward instead of upward. I'd been as ugly as Maes, and I'd been good at it. I was good at being a subject. I was Subject Twenty-one, the only successful trial out of thirty. I was better at this than Maes was. He was a pansy. A total pansy. What kind of subject mopes about dying? Dying's nothing. There were worse things than dying. There were worse! He didn't know. He had no idea and he just sat there moping and whining and telling Subject Twenty-one not to think about it like he knew something she didn't and he knew what he was talking about and she didn't know, even though he couldn't begin to understand because he hadn't been there in the wet red grass so…

'Twenty-one, stop it!'

I jolted in my skin. My blurred eyes focused. Damn white room. Always around me.

"I'm sorry," said Maes. He had his face turned away from me with his cheek covered by his hand, the cheek that had been bruised when he'd come in with storm-sickness. Between his finger and thumb, I could just make out an almost solid purpled red mark where the bruise had been worsened.

"Oh, my God!" I said. I got up on my knees and tried to pull his hand off his face. He flinched away, wincing. "What happened to you?"

"Don't touch him!" It was Uncle Ed. He had his arm around Maes now and he was glaring at me like I'd just run over his puppy or something.

"Just seeing if he's okay." I retracted my hand anyway.

Dad took my arm. I liked to think he was just being affectionate or something, but his hold was tight almost like a restraint. "You need to cool off, Nina."

"But just look," I said, pointing. "His face is freaking worse."

Uncle Ed didn't respond. His arm tightened around Maes. I caught Mom looking over at Dad with her brow knit. I sucked my lip. Maes turned his face to me, his bruised-up cheek still in his hand. He looked at me hard like he was searching for something without his glasses. "Are you serious?" he said. "You don't know?"

Dad's grip tightened on my arm. I wasn't sure he meant to do it. I glanced around, kind of hoping for some kind of hint. I had a feeling that maybe this was an answer I really needed to get right. My eyes settled on Maes. I shrugged a shoulder. "Storm-sickness busted the capillaries in your face? Some kind of delayed reaction?"

"Look at your hand, Nina," Uncle Ed said.

Maes looked back at Uncle Ed with a frown. "Dad!"

I looked at my hands. They were hands alright. Pale, delicate little hands with pink flecks of burn-scars on the palms and fingers. I wiggled the fingers and stretched them all through the wrist like a cat. Yep. Two functional hands. Very nice. I balled them into loose fists to get the circulation going and…

Funny. My right hand felt a little tugged balling up like that. I balled it tighter. No, not tugged. Sore. It felt sore all through my knuckles and the back of my hand. Just sore in general. Kind of dull. A blunt kind of discomfort in my right fist that wasn't in my left fist. I turned my hand over.

I sucked my lip. That didn't look right. My hand was kind of pink-tinted like it had been smacked way hard. Yeah, it stung. Some of the bonier places like the knuckles were purpling with the beginnings of bruises. I rolled my shoulder back. Kind of sore. Freshly sore like I'd just exerted it and it would probably be better once I'd let it rest.

I looked up at Maes, met his eyes. It's okay. Just let me see it. It's okay. It's okay. His hand slid hesitantly from his cheek. I stared at the bruise he'd come in with and I stared at what I could now see was a hand-shaped mark bruised into it. I bit down on my lip. "Oh."

I felt Mom's hand on my shoulder, but my eyes stared forward. "We're all a little overwhelmed," she said gently. "Why don't we take a break and—"

"She just hit Maes in the face!" said Uncle Ed.

"She didn't know she was doing it, Dad," Maes said sternly.

"Yeah, and what about next time, huh?" said Uncle Ed. "If she'd hit you that hard in the chest, you'd be dead right now."

"She wasn't trying to kill me," said Maes. "We were just talking about hard things and she lost it for a second."

Uncle Ed turned Maes's face to get a clear view of the strikingly vivid mark spread over his cheek. "She lost it pretty hard, huh?"

"Look," said Dad, "why don't you let us handle our daughter and you worry about your son. We don't have time for this."

I shivered. "Am I like this because my life-force has too many souls in it, or is it because I've been giving the souls away?" I blinked numbly. "In that case, I'm either seven souls away from perfect sanity or I'm seven souls away from crazy beyond help." I looked down. "I'm a little scared to find out."

Dad eased up on my arm, a little less like he was holding me back. "You don't have to find out."

"He's so selfish sometimes," I said. "Thinks he's got us all fooled, but I know. It's easier to wear scars than to look at them, isn't it? And all I can do is look." I pulled away. I stood. "You're right, Dad. I do need to cool off. Give me a few days, okay?"

No one argued with my logic, though no one really agreed with it either. Maes said softly as I climbed onto my bunk, "So, that's why it's always been so easy for me to do the right thing. Wasn't the one looking at the scars."

I buried my face under my pillow and laid flat on my stomach. I thought about screaming into my mattress, but decided that was kind of stupid and dramatic. Instead, I sucked on my lip. I sucked until it throbbed and then it went numb in a sharp kind of way. I shifted my teeth over it and bit. I crunched on it. I felt the papery skin break just enough to let blood rise to the surface. I licked it off and realized the blood I'd imagined in my dreams didn't taste very accurate at all. The blood in my dreams was hot, thick, and overly metallic. Totally cliché. This blood on my lip had an almost cozy, nutty flavour. Walnuts. Sweet in its own way. Smooth and bland. Slick like oil. It went down salty at the back of my throat.

Thirteen. Eighteen. Twenty-two. Twenty-three. Twenty-five. Twenty-seven. Twenty-nine.

Twenty-one.

There are eight of us left, eight out of thirty. So, why does it feel crowded for the first time now that our life-force is finally emptying itself?

…

I smelled the air. It smelled like nothing. "It smells like nothing, I think," my little voice observed.

The seven tiny naked bodies huddled with me within the empty white space of the Gate. "It does smell like nothing," agreed Thirteen. "Can't even smell my blood anymore."

I tilted my face up and watched the unmoving white above us. Not clouds. Just a white void of nothing. "I will get rid of all of you, I think. You got to go to a better place than inside me and then I will just be me. I do not want being silly again. I hate that one a lot."

"Can get rid of us," said Twenty-five. She looked at me with her big lashes. "But can't change your life-force, Twenty-one. That's poison forever. You saw all our Truth."

Thirteen nodded. I felt my lip pout. "Nuh-uh. You take that silly Truth with you. I do not like to have it just for me."

"It's not our Truth," said Eighteen. He always knew what he was talking about. He didn't cry that much unless they broke his arm. He was dumb. "Not our Truth, Twenty-one. If it was, I think you'd feel better inside your thoughts every time you spent one of us up."

I covered my ears, but sound still got in.

"But I think that's why our bodies had to die," said Eighteen. "Do you remember your result? You saw all our secrets for us. We don't get to have them."

"You need to close your mouth really the tightest one, Eighteen," I said. "You need to close up your teeth so you can never say it."

"It's not the white room, Twenty-one," said Eighteen. "It's not the asparagus. It's you."

I covered my ears harder, but they wouldn't close. "Not right. Not."

Twenty-nine put her pudgy hand on my shoulder. "Maybe you need me to stay. Maybe I might."

"No!" I said, shaking my head in whips. "You are sad here. I will keep your stupid Truth forever. You have to go help a person and disappear so you can smile in your soul like the others. I like that one the most. I hate you to be here. You hate it."

"Not so much," Twenty-seven piped up quietly. "We're friends, right? A good friend doesn't let a friend turn silly."

The eight of us shivered in our skins as a silvery cackle filled the dry void around us. It echoed, but I couldn't find what it was echoing off of. Maybe it was echoing off of me. I hugged my knees.

"A good friend doesn't let a friend turn silly?" said the Gatekeeper's voice. "You honestly believe she's not silly already? You should listen to the boy, Twenty-one. I'm inside your veins. You can free every soul within your life-force, but you can't free yourself."

"Don't tease her!" said Eighteen.

"Don't be so upset," said the Gatekeeper. "She asked for a result and she paid with thirty human souls."

"Twenty nine," Thirteen corrected stubbornly. "There were twenty nine of us put inside her."

The Gatekeeper's laugh rippled the still air. I stood. "No. No, Thirteen. Not twenty nine. Thirty. Thirty of us got put inside this body." My voice sounded smoother to my ears, older. My thoughts came easier and I looked down at the children from a higher distance. "All is one. One is all. We aren't a Philosopher's Stone. We're a life-force. When you leave me, you leave me with the Truth we paid for. It's that simple. We got what we paid for. Enough of it to make one soul go silly if she's left to contain it on her own."

Twenty-five shivered, her curly eyelashes batting tears down her rosy face. "Twenty-one…?"

I forced a smile. "I'd do it over again. No regrets, agreed?"

Eighteen stood in a jerk. "Not fair! We didn't mean for this to happen."

"Won't be over until I bleed the Truth out of my veins." I licked the blood off my lower lip and pretended the tears were bleeding from my eyes. "Problem is, I don't want to die." I closed my eyes. "Wonder what it's like to hold thirty souls' worth of alchemic knowledge in one tiny mind."

The others stood, put their hands out to paw at me. I shook my head. "Time to cool off."

…

My eyes opened. Total sensory overload. My skin hurt all over my hands and arms and kind of on my thigh a little. My mouth tasted like my blood still. Not enough to suck up, though. My sinuses stung, all irritated from the smoky smell that seemed to sting my eyes even worse than my throat. Couldn't tell if that was the reason my eyes were crying. The floor was hard under my squirming body and Mom's hands were cold holding my shoulders down. My Dad was bent next to me with his hands sparking a transmutation circle and his voice was shouting something way too loud for my tender ears. Like a freaking migraine-maker. I saw my bunk dripping ashy water off the mattress, kind of glowing in places like dying embers. I deciphered my voice screaming behind my dad's. Dear God. My throat was hoarse enough with the smoke breathing into it without me sobbing at the top of my damn lungs.

I inhaled deeply and coughed my screaming into silence. I made my body quit with its weirdo squirming and squeezed my eyes open and shut until the tears stopped coming down so fast. I looked up at my dad and watched the healing circle slowly fizzle out, my burnt skin not feeling quite so burnt by the time it was done. Dad looked back at me. He'd stopped shouting. His face was frozen in that greyed autopilot expression he put on when his emotions weren't something he wanted to wear.

"Forgot the band-aids again," I said. It came out croaky. Not how I'd wanted to sound. I closed my eyes. "Sorry. Didn't mean to fall asleep."

"You weren't asleep," said Dad, so calm he was almost monotoned. "We've been trying to wake you up. You were stuck."

Mom bowed her head. "Like when you were three."

Dad looked at Mom sharply, a trace of emotion passing through his eyes. She'd meant when they'd found me fresh out of the lab. The days Dad said I used to light myself on fire in my sleep and couldn't wake up to make it stop.

I sat up slowly. Dang. My bed was toast. I didn't even remember doing alchemy in my dreams. Instinctual self-defence? I sniffed the air. Smelled like Mr. Havoc only a little less cough-inducing. "What time is it?" Mom and Dad looked at each other in a hesitant way that made me think they didn't want me to know they were looking at each other. I sighed. "The lights are still on, so it couldn't have been that long. Where'd Maes run off to? He'll tell me the freaking time."

Mom straightened. "Five in the evening. It's five in the evening, Nina."

I knit my brow. "Heck no. I fell asleep at what? Four thirty?"

"It's been two days," said Dad. Just came right out and said it like he was telling me the color of the walls. "You slept through forty eight hours. Didn't so much as flinch until about ten minutes ago."

I looked at my right hand, flipped it over to see the back. The purple bruises on my knuckles from hitting Maes in the face had faded to yellowed brown. Hardly even visible if you weren't looking for them. I chuckled. "Dang. I was out cold. How's Maes doing? His face okay?" I looked around the quiet room. "He and Uncle Ed in the bathroom having a shaving party or something?" I began to stand, but Mom took my hand and held me down. I looked at her. "What, are they naked or something?"

I felt the weight of Dad's hand on my head. He petted my overgrown hair from my eyes. I didn't like the look he was giving me. It was the same look he'd had when he'd told me my pet goldfish had gone to fishy heaven when I was in kindergarten. Took me five years to realize there was no such thing as fishy heaven. What a bunch of BS. I frowned. "What? What the hell's the issue? I just had the most screwed up dream in history. Don't you screw with me too, guys. It's getting harder to see through all your hinting around."

Dad's stone expression softened into something too vulnerable for me to be happy about. "They're gone, Nina."

I felt my chest pound. Fingertips throbbed. I clenched my teeth. "Not." I stood abruptly, not giving my mom time to grab my hand again, and bolted toward the bathroom.

"Nina, stop!" said Dad. "They're still alive."

"We need to talk this through!" said Mom.

I stood at the doorway of the empty bathroom, my knees wobbling under me. I sucked my lip until the split part started bleeding again. Not. Not. Not. My heart felt shaky in my chest, made my breaths too rushed and too short. I was looking at the dim bathroom, but all I could focus on were the images in my mind of Maes and Uncle Ed's gaunt frames, fragile as new babies. You could break those two like twigs. Maes bruised so easy it was embarrassing. If he exerted himself more than a little he'd get a tight chest.

"Nina, please," said Mom, folding her arms around me from behind. "We need to get some things straight."

"Bob hates the Fullmetal Alchemist," I said.

"He does," she said. "But that's not why he took him. He saw the family resemblance and took Edward as a tool to hurry Maes along with his work." She squeezed my shoulder. "Do you want to sit down and hear the rest?"

I let her guide me to Dad's bunk and I sat on his mattress with a parent boxing me in at either side. "Tell me the rest."

"We didn't catch the whole story," said Dad, "but Yao came here in person yesterday morning and he seemed to be uncharacteristically anxious to become immortal. The way he was talking to Maes and the guards accompanying him leads me to believe something's changed, something's rushing them. He had doubts before about Maes's methods of achieving immortality, but now he's taking what he can get. I think Maes's insight from earlier might be right. I think Edward did lead the Emperor's forces in this direction and now Yao is having to speed things up so he'll be ready to challenge Ling when the time comes."

"That's a lot of 'thinks,' Daddy," I said. Damn father was basing this all off of theory?

"But his arguments are credible," said Mom. "You've been asleep. You haven't heard and seen everything that's happened."

Dad looked at his knees. Never stopped being weird seeing the man ashamed of himself. "I know I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to Maes, but trust me when I say things have changed. Yao talked like Maes was the most valuable person alive when he took him, and Fullmetal seemed to be a close second as leverage. I'm certain they aren't comfortable, but they are alive. If things can stay the way they are now for just a little longer, I honestly believe the Emperor's forces will arrive to save us before we lose anybody. We just have to be patient."

I laced my fingers. "You really think Bob hasn't thought of that? Jeez, Dad. You really are an idealist. Works for being Fuhrer. Not so much for hostage situations. Why don't we just be honest with ourselves for a second and admit we don't know what the hell we're doing."

Dad frowned at me, but I could pretty much tell it was directed mostly at himself and the world combined. "It's all there is. I'm sorry. There is no other plan."

I nodded. "Uncle Ed's getting tortured right now to get Maes to hurry up on a project that he faked from the beginning. I'm sure that'll blow over well with Bob and his boys. But that's okay, because my dad _thinks_ there's a rescue party coming for us and he _thinks_ they'll get here in the nick of time. Because life actually is that tidy. Jeez, Dad. Did it ever occur to you that Ling's forces might not even make it the whole way to us?"

"We're doing the best we can," said Mom. "You've been out for a while. Try to cool off for a moment…"

I could see them. I could see Aunt Winry's tears. I could hear her crying and I could hear Sophie crying with her. I could see an empty room and an empty side of the bed. I could see specialized automail parts going unused. I could see children in Rush Valley waiting for Prince Maes to fix their arms and legs and jaws. I could see Uncle Al making a pathetic effort to explain to his youngest daughter who her Uncle Ed was. I could see Amestris waiting for their Fuhrer and his wife, the Ishvalans waiting for their two most dedicated advocates. I could see Elysia and Selim dying alone and single because I'd never come back to hook them up.

I turned to my dad. I felt kind of like a predatory bird, perched, waiting for him to throw me off his glove and free me to soar where I damn pleased. "Daddy," I said. He met my eyes tensely, something about me seeming to make him uneasy. I licked the blood off my split lip. I stood and pivoted to face the far wall. I took a step toward the white. "Don't let me kill myself."

I smacked my hands together and broke into a run.


	97. Chapter 97: The Smell of Wet Grass

Author's Note: Three. Chapters. Left.

The next two posts will wrap up the plot. Obviously they'll be long ones. I like to make the finale chapters long. The hundredth chapter will be kind of an 'after story' OVA, similar to an epilogue or a flash-forward. You get the idea.

Author's Inevitable Gush of Gratitude: This is coming to a close and it's kind of sad, but we've had a darn good run of it. I started this story not expecting to make it to forty chapters before its close and to have less than half the readers I'd had with 'Babysitting the Boss Guy'. I mean, it was a sequel to a previous fic and it starred two characters not even original to the FMA(B) series. But then the story started getting praise and critique and it molded itself into a hundred-chapter project! Thank you so much for the support. I try to make a point to finish the stories I start, but I doubt I would've finished as strong if I hadn't had your constant encouragement. You've made these past three months awesome!

Most Fulfilling Accomplishment as the Writer of 'Flame Legacy': None of you will ever think of corn the same way again.

* * *

Chapter 97: The Smell of Wet Grass

The wall shattered at my touch, dusty shards of white debris falling away from the transmuted hole. A wave of humid warmth blew over me and I recognized the smell of warm wet rocks and fruit peels, the unexplainable smell of an evening in Xing after a summer rain. My eyes gawked at the green in front of me. Green! Green grass and shrubs and trees and bushes and leaves and vines and hills and mountains and mossy rocks and…

I breathed in. I could smell life again.

"In all the places that used to be filled with blood," I said.

"Nina!" said Dad. He came up next to me and held me back like he didn't want me to fall out.

"It's just a few stories down," I said, pointing to the green ground far below us. My eyes scanned. "I see people in the grass."

Dad pulled me back just in time to dodge a warning shot from below. Well, I called it a warning shot. Judging from the angle the bullet had hit the mouth of the hole, it had kind of been pointed at my pretty little head. I heard Mom freaking out.

I tugged against Dad's hold. "Let me go or I'll make you let go."

"What are you doing?" said Dad. He didn't let go of me. He knew who he was dealing with. "You think we couldn't have done that ourselves? Breaking out is probably one of the worst moves you could've made for Maes and Fullmetal."

"Nina?" said Mom.

I could smell the grass. I could smell color. I smiled, my fists clenching. "I think I'll get out of this place now."

I wasn't like Maes in the sense that when it came to dodging bullets, I had no clue what I was doing. I'd had some self-defence training through the years in Central, but that was it. Whereas, even as a freaking invalid, Maes had had his dad, uncle, auntie, and Grandma Izumi spar enough around him for him to be familiar with all this hand-to-hand combat junk, or that's how he told it. No matter how much Truth I'd seen, Maes had always been the authority when it came to protecting me. But, dang. What I didn't have in capability, I sure made up for in lack of judgement. I shrugged away from my dad and barrelled out that five-story drop like I knew what I was doing.

"Nina, no!" Mom's voice screamed.

The drop was too far. Yep, it was definitely too far to survive. I could see all those Supremist guns glinting at me. I could hear gunfire. I could smell gunpowder. I could smell the grass. It smelled so fresh, like dew. We were in the mountains, a nest of lumpy foliage all around us. This place sure got a lot of rain to make everything so green. Even the evening clouds were too grey to be white.

My left arm jerked, hooked at its wrist so abruptly in my fall that my shoulder popped painfully out of place. I screamed, my eyes blurring with instant tears. My body smacked against the wall as it flailed from the halted momentum. My dad looked down at me with eyes like a crazed horse, spooked out of his mind. His fist was clenched around my wrist so tight and painful that I might have given a shit if my shoulder hadn't already been killing me. His other hand was gripping a transmuted handhold jutting from the outer wall; a split second, practically novice-quality clap-transmutation still fizzling fresh around his fingers. He'd dug his fingernails so violently into its rough design that I could see the red bleeding from the tips of his fingernails and seeping into the transmuted concrete. He hung from the third story wall and my bare feet dangled close to the second story. I knew the look on my father's face. He wouldn't let me drop.

I almost wished he would.

I clung to my dislocated shoulder, hardly able to breathe. "Daddy, it hurts!"

"Stay down!" he said.

The gunfire was everywhere. Blasting from below, spraying all around, hitting things very close to me.

Firing from above.

I tilted my head up. "Mom?" The enemy gunfire was starting to dwindle as her arm fired rounds from the broken wall above onto the Supremist gunmen below.

"Stay down!" said Dad, tightening his grip and causing my shoulder to shift. The pain winded the breath right out of me. "Lieutenant!" Dad cried.

"Sir," Mom called back.

I watched as my Mom's lithe body crouched through the opening above and skilfully scaled down the wall. Bullets continued to fire in small bursts, but her peripheral would flash and she'd outmanoeuvre every hit. I could see her gun tucked at the back of her pyjama pants and that embarrassing tourist-belt full of bullets had been swung over her shoulder, probably for lack of time. I could see a hint of Dad's gloves stuffed sloppily in her hip pocket. I had the coolest mom ever.

Mom came down like she planned on perching on Dad's transmuted handhold with us somehow. My arm was starting to go numb. I wondered if gravity would rip it off. Dad would be just holding the wrist of an arm with no weight on the end and I'd be a crumpled mess on the ground.

Dad spoke firmly. "Stay with me, Nina. I'm not going to let go."

Yeah, but if my body ripped from the part you plan not to let go of…

Dad suddenly wasn't paying attention to me. He whipped his gaze up to Mom. "Lieutenant! Three o'clock!"

Mom's eyes got that flash in them and suddenly she was only holding onto the wall with one hand. Her arm pointed her gun in a snapping motion and she fired three times, so close together it almost could've been just one loud bang. The first one was so fast that I didn't even see her pull the trigger. She'd barely even had her gun out. She hadn't even pointed it yet for that first bang. It was like that first bang hadn't come from her gun. It was like it had come from three o'clock.

Dad's grip on my wrist faltered for a second then tightened immediately after, tighter than it had been before. Then it gave a little and he held me a little looser than he had been. I watched his body breathe too fast and his eyes and mouth close tight. A dot of red seeped wider and wider at the left side of his beige shirt. He tightened his grip on my wrist and the red seeped faster.

Mom kept her gun pointed out, but the bullets had stopped. She shouted, "Roy!" into the quiet, but Dad had his mouth shut and his eyes shut, concentrating too hard on holding onto me to answer. Mom hopped down to us and managed to balance on Dad's transmuted hold next to his hand on the ball of her socked foot. She pivoted and crouched to hold Dad's clinging arm like she could actually support both our weight if Dad were to lose his grip.

"M-mom," I managed to say. "He got shot."

"I know, sweetheart," she said. So clearly not okay. "We need to get down from here."

Dad took a sharp breath. "My hands are full."

"I can climb down the rest of the way," said Mom. "Maybe I can figure something out from the ground."

Like what? You going to put your arms out and try to catch us? "I can do it," I said. I had to strain out the words. Filling my lungs and expanding my ribs to talk moved my shoulder every time. I swallowed. "Transmute something so we don't fall."

"Not with that arm," said Dad. He was holding my left wrist, so the left side of my body was tilted considerably higher than the other. To transmute, I'd have to use the strength in the left side of my body, including my dislocated shoulder, to pull me up enough for my right hand to clap against my left one. Dad opened his eyes and looked at me sternly. "You distort the circulation in your shoulder enough, you could lose the arm."

Mom lifted herself off the handhold. "Let me go get something to draw a circle with. She can do that one-handed."

"No time," I said. "More guards will come soon." I looked up at my paling arm, bluish at the fingers. I sighed. "There's always automail."

Dad gripped me tighter, red seeping through his shirt at a faster pace. "Nina, don't even think about it!"

I gritted my teeth together to make sure I wouldn't end up biting my lip off. I scrunched my eyes shut, opened them, took a deep breath, and kicked off the wall to give me enough momentum to jerk myself up. It was like a meat hammer coated in some sort of corrosive gloop was tearing inside my shoulder just for the hell of it, stirring up and grinding up all the great important stuff inside. I screamed as the agony continued in a pang down my once numb arm and through my shoulder blade, but I kept reaching. I kicked my legs underneath me like maybe I planned on swimming up to the surface through the air. Guessed it worked, because my right hand slid just barely against my left and it swung to smack against that ugly Supremist building and formed a shelf under me and my parents. Dad's hold on my wrist gave and I landed on my feet, shivering violently. I hugged my arm, fell to my knees, and tried not to be sick. Dad dropped next to me, going right to his hands and knees, breathing heavy. Sweat beaded down his face. Mom landed gracefully between us and looked from one to the other like she didn't know who to sooth first.

"T-take care of Dad," I said all shuddery.

"No," said Dad, wincing. He gripped his bloody side. "I can feel an exit wound. It's nothing. Just blood. Take care of Nina."

"I'm not taking care of either of you," said Mom. Wow. Not the time for sarcasm. "Not yet," she said. "Nina's right. I heard far off noise a moment ago and there's no telling how far it came from with these hills and mountains making everything echo. It's possible that Supremist forces could be here within two minutes."

Dad smiled just a little in that way he did when he was really happy his wife was smarter than he was at times. He leaned back on his knees shakily. "Alright, time to go." He clapped his hands together in a strong, experienced way that told me he'd done the transmutation-without-a-matrix thing a lot more than I had. He put his hands on the wall purposefully and this time a full-blown high quality bridge formed, stretching straight to the ground. It was cool, seeing my Dad all shot and bloody and doing alchemy like a major pro. It was cool seeing my mom shooting and not missing and holstering her gun at the back of her pyjama pants to keep her hands free while she scaled down a five-story drop. They'd never really shown me these sides of themselves. They'd protected me from it. It was…cool.

Seriously, though. They were the coolest middle-aged couple in the universe.

We got onto the grass and I just wanted to eat the stuff like a cow. I hadn't touched grass in seven weeks! But my parents cut my reunion short.

"I hear them," said Mom.

"How close?" said Dad.

"Can't say for sure. Everything echoes." Mom listened for a moment. "We need to find cover. That wall was dangerous, but it was safer than the ground as far as bullets go. If they catch us down here…"

Dad looked at me. "Can you walk?"

I stared at him. "You are really not one to talk." He didn't laugh. Didn't even smile. I sighed. "I hurt my shoulder. My legs are fine. I'm good as long as I don't move it around too much, you get me?"

Dad did smile a little this time, the relieved kind, and nodded. He looked around, all around. Maes wasn't kidding. These mountains were a labyrinth. Chances were very slim that we'd make it back to civilization on our own. However, the terrain did provide some choice hiding spots. Dad staggered ahead of us, bunching his shirt around his bleeding side to keep from leaving a dripping trail behind us. "This way," he said. "We'll go this way."

…

"Do you remember," said Mom, "the last time we hid out together as a family?" She smiled at Dad. I didn't smile. My shoulder smarted like hell and I was sure I was going to be sick any moment. Mom and Dad had held me down and popped it back into place almost half an hour ago and I was still having cold sweats. Now it was Dad's turn and Mom was trying to lull him into a false sense of security with her 'kind' voice as she fished around her tourist's belt for any means to sew up the bleeding hole in his side.

"I remember," said Dad tiredly. He was lying on his back next to our very inconspicuous excuse for a fire. Apparently a real fire would attract attention, no matter how far we'd managed to trek away from that Supremist base.

"It's not something you really forget," said Mom. She pulled a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer out of her pack and got this discouraged look on her face. "Damn. I guess I must've left the first-aid back at the room. Nina was using the band-aids, you know?"

Dad closed his eyes. "Please tell me you don't plan on disinfecting my bullet wound with store-brand hand sanitizer."

Mom frowned. "Store-brand is the same thing as name-brand except cheaper."

Dad sighed. "That's not what I meant."

Mom softened, her shoulders slumping. "I know it wasn't. Bear with me, Roy. This is almost the same as the antiseptic I used to use on Nina when she was still healing from the lab."

"Yeah," I croaked. "And it hurt like none other."

Dad's gaze shifted to me sluggishly and he gave me a half-smirk as if to say, 'That's my girl.' He looked up at Mom hovering over him. "Do I need to transmute a needle?" He looked across to my side of the fire at his messily folded bloody shirt. "I can transmute thread, but I can't promise it'll be sterile."

I felt a warm smile on my cheeks. Maes could transmute fabric like none other. He could make the tackiest clothes on the map. A trick he'd picked up from his Pops.

Mom seemed to be thinking, her eyes narrowed and brow pinched like she didn't like her options. She looked at Dad's pale face and drained white lips. Her eyes drifted over his sweaty neck and down his quivering body to focus on the clean hole at the far edge of the left side of his body. It was just a little tear, barely a half inch if even that. It was a wound shot through varying scars, pretty insignificant in the middle of the more major past wounds. It was on the edge of his body in the fleshy area at his waist, the part that had muscle and skin but no organs to rip through. What it did have, however, was blood vessels, and Dad had definitely ripped some of those.

"I want to try alchehestry," I said. Dang it. Why wouldn't they let me try alchehestry?

"We already said no," said Dad. "You can't control yourself anymore. You could black out again and use your life-force on me."

"That's not how it works," I pouted. I didn't even know how 'it' worked. I just hated seeing my Dad looking so freaking hurt and pathetic. "Let me do it. We're saving the Elrics in the morning. You'll be useless with nothing but a simple patch job."

Dad and Mom met each other's eyes in a way that made me think I should look away. Dad smiled. "You underestimate your mother's first-aid skills, Nina. She's patched me up from a lot worse than one little flesh wound."

"I'll do it with a circle," I said. "Keep my hand on the matrix the whole time. Won't even touch you. Please, Daddy."

He had his eyes shut again. "Nina, hand me my shirt."

Mom met my eyes and nodded. I did as he said.

Mom threaded the freshly transmuted needle on the first try. Her hands weren't even shaking. Mine would've been if I'd been the one about to skewer a needle into Dad's flesh. She tugged the beige thread to test its strength, looked over it for frays. "The last time we did this, I was the one on the ground," she said.

"And Nina was picking you flowers," said Dad.

"That was the first time," said Mom, "you called me her mom. You said, 'Go pick Mommy some flowers.'"

"I remember," he said.

"You took it back as soon as you'd gotten the bullet out," said Mom. She squirted a generous amount of hand sanitizer into her palm and rubbed her hands all over to the wrists. "Said it was just to keep me breathing."

Dad glanced at me. "We'd only had her for two days and you already had her calling you 'Mama'."

Mom wiped some sanitizer over the needle. "You were jealous."

Dad sulked. "You can't blame me for that. We were in the middle of our honeymoon."

"Roy," said Mom.

Dad looked up. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to do it now."

Dad stared up at the dark, overcast sky. Not much to look at with the stars and moon blocked out by the storm clouds. "Okay," he said. He grabbed onto a fistful of grass at either side of him. "Do it."

I closed my eyes and curled into myself. I tried to cover both my ears with my hands, but I could barely lift my left arm because it was so sore. I covered my right ear and curled tighter, but sound still got through my left ear. Dad's voice wasn't all that loud or hectic, but I could tell by the high-pitched whining sounds at the back of his throat between the quiet groans that what Mom was doing to him hurt him a lot. It scared me.

"It scares me," I said. "It scares me!"

If I was a maple leaf, I'd be a leafy green maple leaf. But with golden veins like a golden apple, but not the apples from the markets. You have to pick the apples off the trees and eat them off the trees when they're golden like the golden veins on leafy green maple leaves. But apples don't grow on maple trees, do they? They don't grow like leafy green maple leaves. You like apples, don't you, Eighteen? No. No, and not Twenty-nine either. You can't like something they never fed us. You can't like it. You can't dislike it. Green's nice, though. Thirteen had green eyes back when he still had sockets. Or was that Subject Five? Whose body was whose? You all look the same to me now!

I blinked.

"Nina?" said Dad. "What are you doing?" His voice was groggy in that 'it's too early for this' kind of way. The fire's embers were dying next to us, but they provided enough light for my eyes to shift up and see the exhaustion in his face. His face muscles were too worn out to look confused, but even with him half-asleep, I'd heard the confusion clearly in his tone.

Nina, what are you doing?

Nina?

What were you doing just now?

What were you…

My eyes were looking up at him so strained it made the backs of my sockets ache. But he was still lying on the ground, right where he'd been when I'd closed my eyes. I was so low to the ground. I was right next to him. Hadn't I been somewhere else? My knees were dug into the grass and my weight was supported by my right arm, bent like the moment before a push-up. My chin was rested against something warm and firm, slick in a sticky way. My mouth was touching it, too, and I could taste the familiar flavour of blood on my tongue. It was gamey and thick. Not freshly bled.

I jolted away, crawling backward a steady three feet. "Oh, my God! I just licked my dad's stomach!" Not as sweet as my blood, but then again it was half-dried.

Dad yawned. "Say that again?" Oh, jeez. He was practically talking in his sleep.

Mom, on the other hand, had been fast asleep at his other side and my loud outburst had her upright with her gun pointed at my face in an instant. "Freeze!" I didn't bother putting my hands up. Just used the small moment of her being disoriented to furiously wipe Dad's blood of my face. I really had no idea why, but my mouth had somehow thought it was a good idea to consume all the leftover blood that Dad had bled onto himself before getting stitched. Like some sort of messed up home-cleaning appliance. Introducing the Nina-vac for all your pesky messy-wound needs.

I gagged. I'd just licked a bunch of clotted-up old blood off my dad's skin around his stitches. Ugh! The back of my tongue tasted gamey. Why had I thought that was a good idea? Blood didn't taste all that good. I wasn't some kind of a vampire fanatic. It just smelled like home, that was all. It smelled so cozy from here. Dad had bled all over earlier and it was everywhere. Dried to him, dried to Mom, sopped up by his shirt, sopped up by the grass, now drying to my chin. It smelled familiar, like my friends, like our life-force, like life, like wet grass.

I stood. "I have to go."

Mom tucked her gun away. "Hold on, young lady. They sun's not even up yet. Your father needs to rest up before we—"

"Yes," I said. "Take care of him."

Dad seemed more alert now. "Nina?"

I held my sore arm to keep it from jiggling as I walked into the pitch darkness. The sun would start to rise soon enough, but for now all I had to do was walk. Walk with the damp grass padding my steps. Grass smelled like blood in its own way. Fresh and alive. Felt like it, too. Sopped under my feet, warmed by the comfortable summer night. I licked my mouth.

A hand grabbed my arm, my left arm, right at the bicep. Tugged me back hard. "Answer me when I'm talking to you!" Mom said. I could tell she was trying to sound firm, but her voice was more desperate than angry.

"Ouch!" I said, pulling from her grip. I couldn't see her in this darkness, but I could hear her exasperated breathing. "Wrong arm, Mom."

"I asked you to stop seven times," she said.

"I don't remember." I meant it.

She exhaled almost like a sigh of relief, but not in a good way. A sigh of 'unfortunately, I expected this from you.' "You're not yourself."

"Mom, I have to go."

"We agreed we'd wait until morning to decide on our next move." I felt her hand on my hand, my right hand this time. How could she tell in this dark? Maybe she was just guessing every time. "Your arm's not ready for you to use it again. Roy's still so tired from the bleeding earlier. He needs a few more hours to recover, Nina. Think about it for a moment. Just stop to think. We barely made it out of our room alive against all the guards posted outside, and this was for the hostages the Supremists aren't supposed to care about. Compared to us, think how heavily guarded Maes and Edward are going to be. Think of how hard this is going to be for us to rescue them with two Mustangs wounded out of three. And then I'm sure the Elrics' current conditions are nothing to joke about considering Maes's treatment before. We don't even know what floor they're on. You need to think this through before you take on more than you can handle."

"Sorry." I took my hand back. I sucked my lip and cradled my injured arm. "I don't know how many times I can black out again before I stop waking up. I'm just glad I didn't light anything on fire this time. I could've killed him."

"Killed who?" said Mom. "Did you have a nightmare?"

I ground my teeth to keep from telling her. Bit down on the edges of my tongue. I'm insane. I'm insane. The Truth is too much for me. I slip in and out of coherence like flipping a coin. I'm going insane. "Don't worry about it," I said. Souls gone. Truth remains. Enough to make one lone soul go insane.

"I'm going with you," said Mom. I heard a click, the sound it made when she shoved fresh rounds into her revolver. "My eyes are good in the dark. I can help guide you until daybreak."

With this terrain, if I tried to walk around in the dark with no way to see the base from where I stood, I'd get lost for sure. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a crack shot on the case with only one of my arms in suitable condition to do basically anything without making me cringe. "What about Dad?"

"He's tired, but he's not helpless," said Mom. "Let him take care of himself. He'll catch up with us later, I'm sure." She put her hand on the top of my head and turned me around a little. She guided me forward like driving a carriage. "He wished us luck when I went to chase after you. That's a good sign that he didn't try to talk me out of it in advance."

"Means he's confident in us?" I said.

Mom chuckled. "Means he's confident I'll be able to keep you from getting killed until he rejoins us."

"Means he doesn't think we'll get very far without him," I muttered quietly.

Maes and Uncle Ed had been gone for two days. For their sakes, I hoped Dad thought wrong.

* * *

REPLIES!

NightTimeSparkle: I think you've got Nina pegged.

pitstop96: That's awesome! When I think Cracker Barrel, I think 'Maes Muffins!'

Nikkome Konno: I take it you're speechless :P

author12306: I've put too many readers in the crying corner...

KTrevo: "FUNimation could totally make an FMA:B movie out of this..." I was very touched :) Maes's face is fine. Just badly bruised. He's as good looking as he ever was :D

ZipTheArtsyFox: I am a huge fan of showdowns :D

mixmax300: I can see Nina hitting practically anybody, but you know something's wrong when she strikes invalid-Maes.

PhantomhiveHost: Don't you die on me now, dammit! We've still got three more chapters to go!

Priya123: I didn't see the room as spacious enough to break into a 'marathon', but I did see the distance between the far end of the bed to the back wall as enough to break into a sprint to evade parents' grasps, haha!

Polarized Penmanship: Don't worry! You're not the only one. I've still gotta finish some of my art, too.

guardian: Thank you for your total support, random internet gal :)

Awsome anon: I'm going to miss it too :(

Sinistrous Delirious: And she knows it, poor boo.

long live marshmallows: I love a good prison break!

Queen of Narnia49: Thanks! I have more fun writing when it involves harsh backstory and some gore here and there :P

illovebooks: THANKS! haha XD


	98. Chapter 98: Verb

Author's Note: **IMPORTANT!** Thank you for your patience. I had to spend a week making sure the end was done to its best. This post is about twice as long as my longest chapters. The **finale chapter** will be similarly long and will be posted two days from now (**Friday**) as it is dangerously close to completion. All **fanarts **and such for the trailer will be due by the following** Saturday**, which is when I'll be **posting the trailer**, along with the hundredth chapter** (a flash-forward OVA)**. And that'll be the end :O

(**Don't flip in the unlikely case that I don't keep to the dates I just set.** I was really sick these past couple days, so there's a small chance I'll be slowed down by a day or something if I get sick again.)

**Okay, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 98: Verb

The sky was pale purple, the colour just before the orangey glow of sunrise.

"What is Maes to you?" asked Mom. Her voice was soft in the warm air. We were hiking alone, but voices echoed in the mountains if they were raised just a decibel too high.

I stopped sucking my lip. "He's my boyfriend." I kept pace with her, hard to do with shorter legs after nearly an hour of walking. "He's important to me."

"How important?" said Mom. "Other than enough to risk your life for. I think we've covered that."

I shrugged and immediately regretted it. My left shoulder still wasn't quite okay. I winced and grabbed my arm, forcing out, "What are you getting at?"

Mom put her finger to her lips. Apparently the pain had made my voice a little too sharp. I bit my mouth shut. Mom put her hand on my back like it was still too dark for me to find my way without her help. "It's clear the two of you connect very well with each other," she said gently, even gentler than our caution required. "And you know each other," she said. "Intimately." Her pace slowed and I wasn't too sure she'd meant for it to. It was like she was leaning more of her concentration onto finding the right words. She met my eyes in concern. "Nina, you've known each other for four months, a fair amount of time to get to know someone and establish a serious relationship, but through the four months that you've spent with one another, has there been a single moment that hasn't been life-or-death in some way?"

Uncle Ed. Maes. Lan Fan. Aunt Mei and her baby. Me and my souls. Dad. Baby in Rush Valley. Lives at risk, round the clock, always someone at risk. I looked back at Mom. "Always someone at risk."

She nodded. She looked forward at the path ahead of us. The misty Supremist building was becoming clearer in our sights. "High stress situations tend to speed up intimacy faster than the natural progression of a relationship. You get more bang for your buck, but the nature of the relationship is influenced by the situations that sped its progress. I just want you to be confident that what you have with Maes isn't unhealthy by the time you two walk away from this."

I smiled. "It's a little late for that, don't you think?"

Mom frowned like she was scolding me, like that time I'd addressed Madame Christmas as the fat chimney. In my defense, I'd only been three years old; just made a simple observation. The old lady had said I was a jewel and let me try on all her cheap perfumes after that. Dad had laughed the whole time when Mom made him tell Madame Christmas not to encourage me.

"Nina, please be serious," said Mom. "I know you've been having a hard time thinking clearly lately, a very hard time, but that's why it's so important that you figure out where you stand now. When all this is done, how will you and Maes walk away from it?"

"Well," I said, kicking up dirt with my toes, "I suppose he'll have me institutionalized."

"Nina, I'm serious!"

I turned my eyes to her. I squeezed her hand and I didn't let go. "I've had dreams of being beaten the way I struck Maes. Of drinking children's blood the way I've been licking up mine and…" I was not going to mention licking Dad's stomach. I breathed nervously. "I've had dreams of being swallowed in fire." I squeezed her hand tighter. "It's like I can't wake up anymore."

My grip on Mom's hand was painfully tight, but she just squeezed harder. "You'll get better. You've done it before. You're a strong little girl."

"What if I don't?" I said. I looked down at the grass squelching between my toes with every step. I stopped. "I really don't think me and Maes's relationship is top priority for us to figure out right now, Mom."

Mom tugged my hand onward, kept me walking. "Tell me, Nina, do you expect to be happy as long as Maes is with you?"

"I love him," I said.

"Do you expect to be unhappy if he isn't with you?"

"I love him," I said.

Mom was ahead by a couple steps, dragging me along like a kid through the supermarket. "Your happiness is not his responsibility, Nina. Being in love doesn't make your problems go away and it doesn't mean he'll never let you down."

"Sure," I said.

Mom smiled so freaking irritating, like she knew I'd never really dwelled on any of that. "Tell me what love is," she said. "Come on. We've only got about ten minutes before we make it to the base."

Psh, easy. "Love is…" spending the rest of your life making each other happy? I felt my cheeks flaring. Damn.

"Love," said Mom, "is a commitment. Love is a verb, a constant effort. What it is not is an emotion. I'll tell you now, there are a lot of times that a person won't _feel_ love, but they _do_ love. You never quit on your partner. He'll disappoint you. He'll hurt you. There will be times where you need him and he won't be there for you. But that doesn't matter, because love is a commitment and happiness is a decision. No matter what you do to each other, he'll know you still love him and you'll know he still loves you." She smiled back at me. Her voice hushed as we made it closer to the building. "It's your choice, Nina. Don't walk out of this expecting him to fix you. Just know that Maes loves you, too. I can tell he does, and it's so much better to walk out of this knowing that he's chosen to love you unconditionally and that he never needed you to be 'fixed' in order for him to make that choice." She went down to a whisper. "Once you have that figured out, happiness tends to come a lot more naturally."

Mom's strong hand felt just a little warmer around mine, her skin just a little bit softer. Was that what she'd done with me? She'd kept an orphaned lab baby for no reason I'd ever been able to figure out. Was it because she'd committed herself to loving me from the beginning? I couldn't remember a moment she had ever been sorry to have me in her life, ever considered giving up on me, despite all the reasons she should have. I'd put her through so much pain, but she'd never stopped being happy about her decision to adopt me. Mom had loved me like a verb.

Mom slowed down and let go of my hand to grab the back of my dress. She carefully tugged me down and we squatted together in the grass, silent. She locked my eyes in an urgent way that told me she wouldn't be talking out loud anymore. Her gaze shifted slowly to the off-white building in the distance, now only about a mile ahead of us. I took the hint and stared with her.

The building was tall. We'd been on the fifth floor and there was still another floor above ours. It was almost like what it would've looked like if they'd stacked the Eastern Command Center on top of the Southern Command Center. The thing didn't have many windows. Turned out our room had been nothing special in that respect. The only window I could see was on the ground floor facing us and it was carved into a grey door, the only door on this side. Inside the window was lit. I hadn't noticed any light coming from the building before. Someone must've just turned it on.

Me and Mom stayed where we were. We didn't see any guards around, which meant they'd probably either gone down the path to stop Ling's forces before they could find the location of the base, or they'd grabbed Maes and Uncle Ed and fled. The latter was highly unlikely. We would've heard something like that, even from as far away as we'd set up camp. About five minutes passed; I counted the seconds to keep my mind occupied from going wild again. Mom kept her finger on her lip for me the entire time, reminding me not to open my mouth. Then she took her finger off her lip and pointed silently. I looked where she was pointing. The door with the window was opening. She put her hand on my head and eased me down lower in the overgrown grass. With the sunrise so overcast, no one would see us at our distance if we stayed down. The door opened.

Two figures emerged before shutting the door behind them. One was tall and slim and dressed in dark green. That was all I could see of him from where I was. The other figure had me confused at first with its seemingly lumpy build, but I realized soon enough that the Supremist was female and the bulges were just her curves showing through her overly tight blue clothing. Mister Green's lanky arm stretched out to Miss Blue and she latched with his hand. The gesture made me wonder if she could be Missus Green. Mom patted my back, alerting me with a fierce stare. Green and Blue were walking our way. Mom crouched like a ready animal, her arm reaching fluidly behind her to pull out her gun. She was so quiet about it. I'd always thought most guns made a little noise when you handled them. I couldn't even hear the grass bending under her as she shifted her weight.

If she shot, though, that would make a lot of noise.

Green and Blue kept walking, practically tip-toeing. Still hadn't seemed to have noticed us. Funny. They didn't have any weapons out as far as I could see. They didn't have anything but each other. Green minus Blue equals yellow which is the colour of corn and Maes's hair and his eyes, but those eyes are more golden than corn because you make rings out of gold so does that make Maes's eyeballs expensive?

Mom cocked her gun. "Freeze."

Green and Blue stopped in their tracks, about fifteen paces from where we were crouching. It was still dim out and Mom hadn't stood up from the overgrown grass, so Green and Blue looked confused at first like they had no clue where the voice had come from. They seemed to have recognized the sound of a gun cocking, though.

"We were just…" said Blue. "We were ordered to scout for the prisoners."

Green nodded frantically. "Yao ordered another search. We're following orders."

Something in Mom's shoulders changed, loosened at her neck. "Is that so? Well, I guess I'll just have to shoot the two of you." Her voice had a teasing quality, but Green and Blue wouldn't have known that. Mom always sounded the same to most people.

Green focused his eyes on the gun in Mom's hands then focused on her face. He stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Blue. "We don't want any part in this. We have no complaint with you."

"We'll forget we saw you," Blue piped up.

I peered up too see a smile twitching on the corner on Mom's mouth, a triumphant one. "You're deserters."

I could see Green's pinched frown. "We didn't sign up for this. Yao said our clan would reign as it was meant to. Never said we'd be killing our own clansmen to do it."

"Killing your clansmen?" said Mom, her gun held steady. "Why would you be forced to do such a thing?"

Green looked back at Blue nervously. He turned to Mom's gun. He swallowed. "We…"

"Xing's forces were sighted down the mountain!" said Blue. Green met her eyes and shook his head, but she just gave him a sharp look and said to him, "My brother fights for the Emperor. I don't fight for Yao anymore, so what's wrong with fighting for my little brother?" Green shrank like he'd tread on a touchy subject. Blue stepped forward. "Yao said yesterday that they'd never make it to us. Now the scouts say a hundred Xing soldiers will have arrived here by midday."

"A hundred," said Mom quietly. She focused on Blue. "How many are you? Won't you have the Emperor's forces outnumbered?"

Green grabbed Blue's wrist like a warning. Blue looked at him with near disgust.

"I don't want to kill you," said Mom. She kept her eyes on the couple as she snapped the safety back on and tucked her gun in her pants. Her countenance kept steady, almost soothing. "I don't intend to kill anyone if I can help it. All I want are the two men being held captive inside. I'm not looking for secrets. Just a little help." She was playing like she was at their mercy, an interrogation strategy, but I could hear the slight edge of sincerity to her voice. "Please."

Green stood close to Blue, meeting her eyes silently. He stepped a few paces toward us and she stepped with him. He stopped a matter of ten feet away, close enough to speak in whispers. "Word is that a rookie guard kidnapped an Amestrian man on a whim and made a sloppy escape. He's led Xing's forces right to us. No one knew they were on our trail until two days after the Amestrian was taken, the same time Yao sent half of our men to the Capital to wait for instructions. They say the Emperor's forces were ready for them at the edge of the trail. Half our men have been arrested. We're barely above a hundred here. Not enough to defend this base."

"You're outmatched," said Mom. "So you have no choice but to lose and be arrested, or withdraw and start over. I can't blame you for choosing the latter. Though, I would like to know, when you say that barely above a hundred Supremists are here, do you mean inside the building?"

"Some," said Green. "Not many. Most of the others have gone to patrol and meet the Emperor's men before they can get to our location."

Mom's shoulders eased a little more. "How many inside? Do you know?"

Green and Blue exchanged a look. Blue shrugged. "The ones that stayed behind stayed to guard Yao and the Amestrian prisoners in the workroom. Yao doesn't need much defending, so only a handful had to stay."

Green nodded. "There won't be many inside. Fools should've all run like us a long time ago, but Yao won't budge. Says he needs immortality before we move on. They'll die protecting him and his prisoners."

"No," said Mom. "Your Emperor would rather shut down your failed regime by imprisoning you than by extermination. He doesn't hate the Supremists nearly as much as you seem to hate him." Jeez. Way to wag the finger. She stood. "Thank you for the information."

Blue and Green watched tensely as Mom helped me to my feet. I wondered if they'd even noticed me all curled up in the grass that whole time. I gave them a smile. They stared skeptically back at me. They were pretty much adorable together, a dang cute couple on the run. "Hey," said. "You guys are betraying Bob, right? So, that makes you cool."

Green knit his brow. "Bob?"

Mom took my wrist instead of my hand, kind of an indicator that I was doing something tacky. I smiled bright at Blue. "Hey, if you see my dad out there, could you tell him what you told Mom? I don't want him getting lost. We left him out there alone still on the mend from that bullet yesterday. He needs all the help he can get, am I right?"

Mom jerked my arm like I should shut up. Green looked sorry for her for having a stupid daughter. Blue looked caught way off guard. She blinked her dark eyes and smiled cautiously. "I'll keep him in mind."

I felt a grin and I just couldn't help it. Something felt extremely good about having Blue on my side. She was on my side, right? Because she was smiling at me. That meant she was on my side.

Blue took a step forward and then another step. Green took her wrist. I tried to walk forward, but Mom already had my wrist. Blue jerked away from Green all irritated and came closer to me. All that tension in Mom's shoulders returned and then some. She moved like she was ready to get in front of me, maybe even pull out her gun again. Jeez, I'd said something wrong, hadn't I? But Blue was still smiling. That meant she was on my side.

Blue had gotten within three feet of me before Mom said, "That's far enough."

Blue looked at me. I shrugged my right shoulder. "Overprotective parents."

Blue smiled a little more freely. "The way Yao talked about the Amestrian prisoners we'd taken in, he made it sound like you were four cruel men who had slaughtered hundreds of us and shown no regret, even under torture. Not in so many words, but that was the picture he painted in our minds. I never would have guessed that one of those prisoners was the daughter of the Amestrian Fuhrer."

Mom dug her nails into my wrist and I was pretty sure she didn't know she was doing it. I wiggled my arm and she eased up, but not by much.

"You were in a magazine ten years ago," said Blue. "You were visiting a children's hospital."

I wondered which photo-op she was referring to. "Got to give you credit for recognizing me. You know, ten years down the line without the…polishing."

"Your eyes," said Blue. "They do something memorable when you smile."

"Impressive." I guessed my eyes had always kind of been a little big for my face maybe. I wondered if she had her magazine with her. I'd totally sign it.

The happiness in Blue's smile faded a little and was replaced by a kind of forced contentedness. "My brother…he has a wine-coloured birthmark on his face. It goes all the way down his jaw. You can't miss it. If he happens to be one of the soldiers marching on our fortress…if you happened to see him…would you tell him that Jing said he was right and she hopes he can forgive her someday?" Blue sank a little. "Tell him she loves him."

I blinked my blue eyes and smiled reassuringly. "I'll keep him in mind."

Blue's eyes looked silvery at the rims like unshed tears. She locked my gaze. "Your friends are being held on the top floor. You need to hurry. I haven't seen them in person, but you can hear them screaming from five doors down."

I swallowed. My tongue felt like sandpaper. Maes and Uncle Ed weren't screamers. I looked up at the sky. The sun was glowing in the sky, but the thick curtain of rain clouds muffled its light. The light around us was humid and lucid greed, enough to choke a person. It already smelled like a storm.

I wondered how long it would take before it broke. How many storms had broken while I'd been asleep those two days. How bad Maes's storm-sickness had been as Yao forced him to keep working on the automail organs. How many times Uncle Ed had been hurt in front of Maes when he couldn't help doubling over on the job.

If scrunched my eyes closed at the thought of it. All this time I'd feared Yao's punishments. I'd never betted on storms. I hadn't dismissed it, just hadn't thought of it. But if the storm hurt them then it wasn't Yao's fault. He smiled. That means he's on my side. No, but his teeth were yellow like a yellow apple fresh from a maple tree…

I heard a soft roll of thunder. I blinked my eyes hard and took a deep breath. I wouldn't black out. Not now. I couldn't miss another beat, not another second. Blue and Green had gone. Mom was scolding me about something to do with loose lips. I didn't hear her, not really. I tugged my wrist from her hand and walked tall toward the door at the bottom of the white building.

…

Mom didn't shoot to kill, but it wasn't like we went back to check pulses. Just had to trust they'd last until a doctor or something got to them. Mom said that wasn't for us to worry about. Sparing lives was apparently a very tricky business. It would've been easier just to kill every guard in our path. Mom said the easy way was rarely the right way.

We made it up the first flight of stairs to the second floor easily. Mom said the men guarding the building were probably more concentrated at the top floor around Maes and Uncle Ed. Those two were their last hope, or so they'd been convinced. I kind of felt sorry for them. They'd bet all their success on a guy who'd been lying to them from the beginning. I wondered how many of them were like Blue and her husband, how many hadn't signed up for this but were now caught up in the middle of it.

Mom fired her gun and I looked just in time to see the man go down. He was conscious when the bullet hit his knee, but the tumble down the second flight of stairs left him seemingly unconscious. He hadn't even pulled his weapon on us yet. "Do you have to shoot all of them?" I asked. "Poor guy didn't see it coming."

"We have to keep moving, Nina," said Mom, continuing up the stairs. "We still have three more flights of stairs after this one. You made a good call leaving before daybreak. We don't have time to take chances with every Supremist we come across."

I trudged after her. I'd wanted to use the elevator, but Mom shot down the idea without taking a moment to think about it. Said that elevators could be controlled from outside and the Supremists could trap us between floors and kill us dead with a grenade, or something like that. Now we were climbing these cheaply made metal steps, shooting down random people we didn't know; four so far if you included the guy Mom had just taken down. It unsettled me to leave a trail of incapacitated guards behind us. All the way dead or all the way alive was better. All bad or all good. Uncertainty made my insides squirm. There was already enough of that ahead of us without leaving it behind as well.

Thunder rolled softly outside. I winced just imagining Maes's usual weak groan. Then I imagined him holding back that weak groan so Yao wouldn't hurt Uncle Ed. I started thinking back to how he'd pretended to be okay back in Central that evening I asked him to take me away. That was before I'd healed his automail, strikingly similar to the way things were now. The rain had been tougher on him back then, but he'd smiled for me anyway, stood in line with me at the station so I could get my first train pass. That was before I even really knew who he was.

"Maes nearly broke up with me back at his aunt and uncle's," I said.

Mom kept the fast, thigh-burning pace without glancing back at me. Just pointed her gun at every sharp turn on the staircase.

I continued as I followed after her. "I kept some stuff from him and he said he couldn't trust me. He forgave me as soon as I stopped keeping stuff from him." My bare feet were starting to hurt, smacking across each metal step trying to keep up with my mom's longer legs. "Not so sure he was loving me like a verb, you get me?"

Mom looked back at me briefly from the corner of her eye. She kept moving. "Maybe he didn't know how yet."

"Maybe I didn't either," I said quietly. Maybe love had always been a feeling to us.

Maes's teasingly crooked grin flashed in my thoughts and my heart lurched a beat. I used to see it as freaking attractive. Now I saw it as something worth fighting for. I wondered at what point I'd stopped seeing sexy dream guy and started seeing a man who I could move forward with, a man who'd move forward with me.

Mom fired her gun twice. Two simultaneous screams and then two incapacitated bodies collapsing on the stairs. I glanced at Mom's sagging tourist belt as she reloaded and wondered how she was doing on bullets.

"One flight left, Nina," she said. "The door will be guarded. You may have to transmute another way in."

I scrunched the circulation back in my fingers, trying to ignore the pain shooting through my left shoulder. I wasn't sure how far I'd be able to lift the arm for the transmutation. If worse came to worst, I could have Mom lift it for me.

I paused where I stood. I could hear it, just like Blue had warned me. I could hear the screams. With the rolling thunder, I would've expected Maes to be making the majority of the noise, but his groans were barely audible under Uncle Ed's poorly bridled cries. He'd been up here since day before yesterday. He'd probably lost a lot of his will to keep stoic by now.

"Nina!" said Mom. "Nina, look at me!"

I blinked. "I can hear them."

"Yes," said Mom. "You've said so at least twenty times now."

I bit my lip. I didn't have to tell her for her to guess I hadn't noticed myself doing that. "Sorry," I said.

Mom kept my eyes. "I need you to stay awake in there. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, sure." Like I hadn't been trying to keep from blacking out all this time as it was.

Mom pointed at the steel door on the landing a few steps above us. "It'll be locked and guarded. I'm not sure I even want to touch it. It would be safer if we found a way to get you over the railing to transmute an opening at the other end of the wall."

"Like, get me to climb around until I find a good spot, right?" I chuckled. "Yeah, no. I can barely lift my arm with its shoulder all sore from yesterday. I'd be climbing one-handed. I'd fall and die. Not happening."

Mom kept her gun up but focused her eyes stubbornly on me. "I can give you a boost. I won't let go of you, but you'll have to find a way to reach…"

"I can't lift my arm enough to really reach, you know?" I looked up at the ceiling. Not too high above us, I supposed. Not at all. "Can I make a suggestion?"

I knew transmuting a hole above Maes and Uncle Ed would be messy. Poor Maes was in enough pain without being directly exposed to the storm. Plus, Blue had said most of the guards who'd stayed kept close to Yao and the prisoners. If Mom and I came through the ceiling, we could be dropping into a room full of armed enemies. But when I made the suggestion to Mom, this light came on in her eyes and she immediately put my plan into action.

I got up on Mom's shoulders like how Dad used to carry me when I couldn't keep up on walks around town. I didn't stay like that, though. She told me I'd have to stand up all the way with how short I was. I usually could've done that without a hitch; I'd climbed my share of trees through the years. But I was one-armed, sleep deprived, and straining not to slip into insanity again. Needless to say, Mom grumbled a little as I curled my grubby feet onto her shoulders, pinched her collarbone with my toes, and dug my heels into her neck to steady myself. She held my ankles and stood like a pillar, but I still felt unstable.

"Do it, Nina," she said. "If they send another guard out, were sitting ducks."

Hands on me meant she didn't have her hands on a gun. I took a breath. I'd done this before with that Jake kid in Dublith. A one-handed transmutation with one arm useless at lifting and my feet off the ground; except I'd broken his skin that time, not the ceiling. I clapped my hands together where the left one hung limp at my side. I stretched my right hand to the plaster ceiling.

…

It was louder outside than it was in the building. Once I'd made the gap in the ceiling, Mom managed to boost me through and I helped pull her up with my working arm. The roof was flat. Didn't have to work hard. Mom climbed out most of the way herself. She got on her hands and knees and listened through the roof at different places, listening for Maes and Uncle Ed. The thunder was so much louder out here than it had been inside. She had to really strain to hear. The rumbling hurt my ears deep inside at the very center, blasting them. The rain crashed down on us, beating our bodies, making my worn-out dress cling to my skin almost unbearably. Mom stood and beckoned me over. I came and dropped to my knee where she pointed indicating where I was to transmute our entrance.

"Know what?" I said over the storm. "Maes says my hair looks like black worms when it's wet. He thinks I'm beautiful."

Mom pointed to the designated spot again with a scolding look. I gave her an apologetic smile, though I couldn't think of what I'd done wrong this time. I clapped my hands together and dropped my right hand onto the flat roof. The wet concrete vibrated under my touch for a fraction of a second before deconstructing and reconstructing itself into a lopsided door, clearly my first time transmuting one. Mom had insisted I not end at deconstruction this time. Couldn't risk dropping chunks of debris onto people below.

Mom walked up to the edge of it, the door with Maes and Uncle Ed below. She gave me an affirming nod. She had her gun out, loaded with the safety off. She'd go in first. She stepped up so her toes were brushing the frame and tested the door's strength with a tap of her soppy socked foot. She chuckled lightly. "I hope your father doesn't forget to tuck his gloves in his pockets. He'll be useless if they get wet."

She swung up her heel and brought it down hard. The door caved under the impact and opened into the room under us. Mom got half a glimpse in before she leapt back, pushing against me as she dodged. Shots rang and bullets sprayed through the opening. Past the firing weapons I could hear Maes groaning loudly from the storm I'd let into the room. Uncle Ed was shouting something to him. Bob was shouting something too.

"Nina, change of plans," said Mom, stepping back and pushing me back with her. "Too many guns. Make another opening five feet to your right. No door this time. Just a hole."

As I hurried off to do as she'd instructed, Mom stepped dangerously close to the open door and fired rounds at the gunmen below. I wasn't too sure how possible it would be this time for her not to kill with every shot. She was barely getting a look at where she was firing, probably no more than enough to make sure she wasn't going to hit Uncle Ed or Maes.

I knelt down and transmuted the hole, barely over two feet in diameter. All I saw was green carpet. Mom had everyone shooting at her and the number of guns was sounding less and less.

"Jump down," said Mom. "Go now. I'll follow."

Jump down. Yeah, easy. Just a nine foot drop from ceiling to green carpeted floor. Not grass green. Sickly fluffy soggy ugly mouldy pin-ink green. I wanted grass. I wanted grass. I never wanted to go inside. I saw white in my eyes like maggots had gotten in and they'd eaten my eyes and all that was left were squirming balls of parasitic white.

A sudden zap of pain shot up through the ball of my foot and up through my shinbone, pounding hard all the way up my femur. My whole skeleton seemed to jar in my skin. My breath caught in my chest as I fought to pick myself up. It was beneath me, the stuffy green carpet, sopping from the rain coming through the hole. All around were white walls and blurred figures and shooting and yelling and crying and shouting. I looked up through the hole in the ceiling, watched the lighting fork in the clouded morning sky. Had I fallen or had I jumped?

"Nina, get up!" Mom yelled from above, peeking through the opening. Ah. I'd been pushed. "Stand up, Nina!" She swung her arm through the ceiling above me and shot three rounds at the figures with guns in their hands. Three figures dropped. One looked dead. That bullet busted his neck. He moved too fast. It would've gotten his shoulder, but he moved to fast. It wasn't Mom's fault. It wasn't. He was bloody all over, but no one would help him. No one would help anybody. Their blood smelled like wet grass. Or was that the rain? Maybe I could put it in my mouth and then I'd know for sure.

"Nina!" It wasn't Mom this time. I had to adjust my ears for a moment, and then I had to adjust my gaze. I saw him, hunched over a workbench that covered half the room, balls of automail organs littered around him and a gun to his head. "Nina, get up. You can't be here."

I felt a smile come on and my muscles found irrational strength. I came to my feet, leaning off the leg I'd landed on a moment ago. "Like hell, Maes. It took me forever to get this far."

Maes didn't answer. He gripped his chest in the way Uncle Ed hadn't allowed him to back at the room and groaned. His whole body shuddered as the rain intensified. It was still coming down on me through the roof like a giant showerhead. I laughed. "Giant showerhead!"

Bob was standing tall with the gun pointed at Maes's head. He didn't look happy to see me. Maybe I'd given him a bad memory of a pretty young girl who turned him down in his youth. Maybe I looked just like her. Poor guy needed therapy for that. Uncle Ed was lying bloody against the wall in cuffs. He had his eyes closed. Maybe he was tired and needed a nap. Maybe he was already napping.

I gave Bob a friendly grin. "Hey, Bob! I was going to make you eat your own face, but my Dad says that's inhumane, so I'll settle for breaking your nose and then stealing back my boyfriend and his dad."

Bob didn't smile back, the jerk. "Shoot her. Now."

I looked. There were a lot of guys on the ground, heaped up where Mom had shot them. The ones who were still standing were spread throughout the decently sized room to avoid being caught off guard by another diversion. I counted eleven. Some had their guns pointed at the hole in case Mom showed enough of herself to shoot at. Most had their guns at me. They looked a little iffy about it like they weren't sure I was the one Bob had told them to shoot.

"Yao," said one close to me. "She's just a girl, not a soldier."

Yao didn't say a word. Just pointed his gun away from Maes long enough to shoot the reluctant guard in the face. Blood sprayed, spattered the wall and the carpet and my cheek. Maes made a noise and I turned to see he'd looked away. I hadn't.

"I think…" I said. "I think you just gave him a headache. I think you really hurt him, you know? You should…" I licked a drip of the guard's blood as it rolled off my cheek. "You should tell him you're sorry when he wakes up."

A guard focused his gun's nose at me. His eyes were tearing up. Rain made mould and mould was horrible for allergies for some people.

"Hey, do you need allergy drops for your eyeballs?" I said. I smeared a dab of blood across my lip and ran my tongue over it.

Mom shot her gun and the guy dropped. The other guns immediately pointed up to her, but she didn't shoot back this time. "Nina, move!" she said.

"Shoot the girl," said Bob. "Don't waste your bullets on the woman."

I laughed. "I am a woman, dummy! I'm, like, twenty one years old. Jeez. You really are an idiot. Why don't you call me woman junior?"

"Nina, move!" Mom said.

I looked up. A bunch of guns were pointed at me. All nine of them. Mom wasn't shooting them down anymore. Oh, so she'd finally run out of bullets. Well, I'd told her not to be so excessive, now hadn't I?

"Don't do it," I said. "I can't control it like my daddy can. I might hurt you or maybe I'll hurt all of us. The alchemic make up of water serves as excellent fuel when separated properly, so with conditions like these, there's no telling what kind of blast…"

A gun cocked. I glared. "I said don't do it!"

"Nina, no!" Mom screamed.

My arm flung in an arc and I only had to snap twice for the flames to reach every guard. The transmuted fire was sloppy and unruly as ever, but it got the job done. The blaze died instantly like always, but it left behind nine limp guards.

I turned to Bob. His gun shook against Maes's head. I smiled. "Look at you. Look how easily we took you down. I think I'll break your nose now…"

"Nina, stop," Mom said firmly. I jumped in my skin a little as she landed in a cat-like stance behind me. "You need to calm down. We don't want anyone else to get hurt." She said that last part in the voice I could now recognize as the one she used when she was trying to make people think she was the type to negotiate and show mercy.

"Of course," said Bob. He'd taken on a smoother tone, but somehow it made it sound all the more wild and desperate underneath. "No one else needs to get hurt. I'll have what was promised to me and then I will give you the freedom that was promised to you."

I looked at Maes; shivering, sweating bullets, bruised up more than he was last I'd seen him. I wondered how the hell he'd managed to keep up the act this long in the condition he was in.

"Yes," said Mom. "That sounds reasonable. Nina and I will be here to make certain that both ends of the deal are held up." She was buying time, trying to get him to forget himself and maybe aim the gun off Maes's head. I looked at the guns scattered around the bodies on the floor. I wondered if maybe a few of those weren't as used up as Mom's was.

I knelt down next to the guy who'd had his face shot in. The blood on his face was wet, but I was thinking licking his nose might make me black out again like what had happened when I'd licked Dad's stomach. I was thirsty, though. I didn't like being thirsty. I hated it. I wanted water. I wanted just a little. I bit my lip until it split at the regular places and felt the wet warmth on my tongue. I breathed. I exhaled calmly. I ripped the big gun away from the bloody-faced guard and stood.

"Put that down!" said Bob. "Put that down now!"

Mom's eyes widened. "Do as he says. Put the gun down, sweetie."

"You need it," I said. "Your old one's empty. This one's bigger. You'll like it."

"I said put it down!" said Bob. He dug the nose of his pistol into Maes's temple. Maes didn't seem to notice. He was retching on an empty stomach through a burst of thunder. The room did smell a little acidic. I wondered how much he'd vomited before he'd gone into dry heaves.

I handed the gun out to Mom. "Maes, how much did you have to vomit before you went into dry heaves? Do they feed you well here, or have you just been sick all this time? Mom and Dad tell me the weather's been soggy since I blacked out a few days ago."

"Put the gun down!" said Bob.

"Put it down, Nina," said Maes. "Please."

Aw, he looked so sick. "Gosh, you look like hell. All these storms! I thought you might…"

Lightning flashed through the holes in the ceiling and thunder boomed through the mountains almost immediately after. I cringed at the overwhelming sound. Maes half screamed then lost his breath entirely from the pain. His eyes dripped as he tried to inhale. He slammed his hand over his mouth and strained through a heavy cough. "Can't…" he said. "Can't breathe…" He coughed again, this time wincing harder at the last moment. He took a deep breath, shivering all over. He lowered his hand and stared at the blood.

I dropped the gun at Mom's feet and stepped up to the worktable in front of Maes and Bob. Uncle Ed was still lying against the wall behind them, peaceful as ever. "Hey, Maes, maybe you should use those tools to fix your automail so your lungs won't cough blood."

Maes met my eyes for a moment in a funny way. He set his hands in his lap passively and looked away.

"You won't do anything until I have my immortality," said Bob, ignoring Maes's shuddering. He glared at him. "Those notes you wrote could take my alchemists years to figure out. We could have prevented all of this is you'd asked to build from the beginning. Sit up straight and work."

Maes shivered violently. "I need just a…just a second." He coughed again, but he didn't bother covering his mouth this time. "It hurts."

"I'll make it hurt more!" said Bob. He pushed the gun against Maes's hair. "You don't have to die quickly. I can kill with other methods besides a gun. All I want is immortality. It's on the table in front of you. You said it was in the end stages. So finish the job!"

Maes didn't answer. Just kept his head down with his hands on his lap under the table.

"Jeez," I said. "Bob, you are one bossy guy. Did your mama teach you manners?" I put my hand over my eyes and cackled. "Your mama's so fat she sat on your manners and they died!"

"Nina," said Mom cautiously, "come stand with Mommy."

"Why?" I said, taking my hands from my eyes.

Bob pointed the gun off of Maes and onto my face. "I think it would be best to eliminate any distractions, seeing as we're pressed for time."

Hey! I was contributing moral support. Guess your mama sat on yours along with your manners, buster.

Mom's tune changed. "Please, no!"

Maes went from cringing to a stiff frown. "Don't you dare." His voice was cold, scarily so.

Bob smiled victoriously seeing that he'd struck a serious nerve, but the smile didn't last. Maes got his hand out from under the table, grabbed the nose of the gun, and pressed it firmly to his forehead. Bob pulled the gun, but Maes held it where it was. "You want your immortality, you'll leave Nina the hell alone. Do you understand me?"

Bob jerked the gun, but it wouldn't budge. He was a dumbass. It was pointed right where it had been most of the time since we'd got here. The only difference now was Maes was in control. Bob looked at the balls of automail on the table, the same balls Maes had constructed for Uncle Ed back at Uncle's Al's place. "Transmute those into me," said Bob a little less confidently, "and the girl will no longer be an issue."

Mom grabbed my hand and tried to shut me up before I could say, "I'm woman junior."

It took a moment, but as Maes was looking up at Bob, I noticed his gaze wasn't completely locked. He was looking toward Bob, but his pupils were shifting subtly side to side almost to the point of vibrating. It looked odd to me, somewhat familiar, and then I realized where I'd seen it before. It was a lower-scale version of that eye-darting thing he did when his mind was working fast, like when he worked on complex automail or alchemical notes. I got a glimpse of his hand tightening around the nose of the gun. It was his left hand, not the one he'd coughed blood into. But I could see traces of blood smeared into his palm, deliberate smears. My mouth curled into a smile as the sparks of a discreet transmutation glowed dimly under Maes's hold. Maes's eyes stopped darting. I grabbed the gun I'd left at Mom's feet.

"Drop it!" said Bob. He jerked the gun away from Maes's head and pointed it at me. Maes totally let him.

"Not for me," I said, focusing my smile at Maes. "I'm breaking your nose with my bare hands." I passed the gun to my Mom.

"Nina, just drop it," she said. "I know you think you're helping…"

"Take it, Riza," said Maes. He smiled back at me. "Nina's safe."

Mom looked puzzled as I dropped the loaded weapon in her arms. Bob looked scared. "I'm not bluffing!" he said, loud and obnoxious. His hand pulled the trigger at me and Mom screamed, pulling me to her chest. The thunder sounded kind of like a gunshot I supposed, so it took her and Bob a second to figure out that no bullets had made it out. Bob pulled the trigger again, but there was nothing, no reaction. I laughed too hard as he turned red pulling it again and again. He turned to Maes. "What did you do?"

Maes smiled through the pain. "Nina, help me up. Dad's out cold."

Mom looked at Maes and I could see the flash in her eyes when she noticed the transmutation circle he'd drawn in blood on his palm. She held the big gun with confidence now and pointed it at Bob with a cold glare. "I'd like to cripple you for shooting a loaded gun at my daughter." She said it like she was deciding whether she would. "Stay where you are and keep your hands where I can see them."

I climbed across the table to Maes's other side. Poor baby was fighting a cough. Knew if he coughed he might have trouble stopping again. Thunder clapped and he winced. I grabbed his hand with my right arm and he squeezed it.

"Sorry I opened the ceiling up," I said.

"No biggy," Maes said, grabbing his chest. He doubled over a little. "Storm already hurt to hell. Not too much difference once it's this bad." Liar. Maes looked around a little. "Uncle Roy…he's supposed to help my dad. Dad can't get out on his own."

"He's catching up," said Mom. "Don't worry Maes. Xing's forces should be here within a few hours. I'm sure they'll have doctors with them."

I let go of his hand and patted Maes's warm head like a puppy. "Dad got shot through his side. Mom sewed him up. He was tired from losing blood, so I left ahead of him. Good move, right?"

Maes nodded, coughing into the crook of his arm. Little red sprays were left on his sleeve. He looked to Mom and said, "He okay?" just to confirm with a reliable source.

"Superficial wound," said Mom, eyes still focused on Bob. "He's fine, Maes. I want to know what you want to do with this one." Bob glared back at her with his beady eyes.

Maes hugged his stomach. "Didn't think we'd make it this far. Tie him up, bring him with us?"

Mom nodded at the discontented Bob. "I'm sure Ling will want him alive."

I glanced around for rope or whatever. I guessed we could use the belts off the unconscious guards. I looked down at where Uncle Ed was lying. "I can transmute his cuffs onto Bob?"

"What's that, sweetie?" said Mom.

"Do it," said Maes. "Get those chains off my dad."

I walked around Maes's chair to get to Uncle Ed, right behind the long hem of Bob's robe. Uncle Ed was flopped against the fall with his head bowed and his eyes closed. He had two black eyes and a bloody nose, but for the most part the damage was restricted to his shirtless body. A lot of bruises, plenty of cuts, but what stood out to me as classic torture were the finger-length burn marks where something too hot had been pressed and branded into his skin all over. Even small burns could usually produce some screams and screams were what Bob had known would keep Maes motivated. Looking at all the marks on Uncle Ed's skin, knowing there were plenty more on his back that I wasn't seeing, I had a striking temptation to maybe to burn the cuffs into Bob's wrists when I transmuted them. As I transmuted them off of Uncle Ed's limp arms, I imagined Bob screaming from the pain of the hot metal cooking into his flesh and I started laughing.

"Nina?" said Mom.

"Nothing," I said, pulling Uncle Ed's wrists out of the cuffs. "Nothing, nothing, nothing." I laughed. "Oh, beautiful! Shrieks like a girl!"

Maes spoke through the pain of a small thunderclap, "What's she talking about?"

Mom shook her head and that was apparently enough of an answer.

I got up on my knees behind Bob. "Okay, Bobby, let's do this thing. I'm going to melt your wrists now."

"No," said Mom sternly.

I reached for Bob's elbow. He had his hands up where Mom could see them and I needed to pull them behind his back so I could cuff them up. "No melting?" I said, grabbing his arm down. Hm, this would be an interesting transmutation to do one-handed. Maybe I could ask Maes to…

"Nina, stop! Don't give him any openings!" Mom said.

"I'm not," I said. "Just cuffing…" But the cuffs missed his wrist. They missed by a lot. Bob got uncooperative and got his arm away from me. I tried to retrieve it, but I was working one-handed and he had both arms to resist with. I was about to tell him to quit being difficult, but then one of those unruly hands of his reached back and got my throat. Really way too tight for comfort. Or breathing.

I coughed and I heard Bob laugh all satisfied. "You can put the gun down unless you want your daughter's windpipe broken." He still had his back to me. He wasn't even looking, just using one hand. I could just clap my hands together and break his hand off his wrist and he wouldn't even know it. Bob's hand squeezed painfully on my throat and I tried to gasp. "Don't even think about it. Just who did you think you were dealing with? Don't underestimate me. I'm not the head of the Supremists for nothing." He squeezed my throat harder, made a squeaky sound come out of me. Mom's gun clunked as it hit the floor.

"Let her go," said Mom. Her voice was trembling like she was truly scared. "You're running out of time. The Emperor's forces will be here for you soon. The immortality Maes promised will be useless against Xing's soldiers." Bob's grip quivered on my throat, his shoulders tensing. So, he'd put it together. Bad timing, Mom. "Just let her go," said Mom. "You have no reason to stay."

"Stop talking," Maes warned, gripping his automail.

Bob turned his gaze to Maes, the way Maes was holding himself, sweating with tears in his golden eyes. I could just barely see Bob's eyes narrowing. "Organs that don't die." He smiled dryly. "Organs that don't die simply because non-living tissue cannot die. Very smart, boy."

Idiot. It took him that long to figure it out? Why the hell would anyone wish that on themselves unless their living organs were failing? Either Maes could talk his way out of murder or Bob was a total dumbass. Bob's hand squeezed my throat too hard again and it made my eyes burn. I couldn't help trying to reach and pull his hand off, but he just squeezed harder and whiplashed me back and forth a couple times.

"Stop it!" Maes said. He looked like he'd stand up, but he sank back in his chair and groaned through gritted teeth as the storm raged on. I was getting dizzy.

"I knew it was a longshot," said Bob, "but a total farce? The piece in your chest had me convinced. I see now. It's killing you, isn't it?" Bob squeezed again and the corner of my eye saw only black for a split moment. "Isn't it?"

"L-leave Nina alone," said Maes. "There are other ways. Ones I hid from you. You kill her and you won't get a word out of…" Maes trailed off and grabbed his stomach. His body quaked through the thunder and he heaved air. Guessed Dad wasn't the only one useless in the rain.

"You think I'll be so naïve as to trust another word you say?" said Bob bitterly. Then, almost to himself, "I'll find another way. Always another way. Just have to start over."

"Please," Mom begged, meeting my clouded eyes. "Please, let her go. Leave this place. We won't stop you." Mom's eyes turned cold on him. "If you kill her you'll be dead before you can make it to the door."

Bob chuckled. "Yes, of course. What is she to me besides an annoyance? I have nothing to gain in killing your little girl, madam." His thumb slipped away from my larynx first and then his fingers dropped me. I buckled to my hands and knees and coughed so desperately it was almost worse than being choked to begin with. I heard Maes's chair creak as he fought to stand up out of it. Then Bob said, "Not so fast." I looked up and realized he was wagging his finger at my mother. Maes was standing now, pretty dang wobbly, but standing nonetheless. Bob took a sidestep over my pathetic body and grabbed Maes's arm as if to steady him. Maes gave him this disbelieving, sickened look like he felt violated at the idea of being helped up by Bob. Then his face crinkled through another wave in the storm and his body leaned its weight on Bob's grip against his will. I could tell he was straining to stand on his own, but he just couldn't.

"He doesn't like that," I croaked.

"I know," said Bob. He gripped a handful of Maes's buttoned once-white shirt and tore it roughly open so the buttons ripped from the buttonholes and scattered on the floor.

Maes held his exposed chest protectively, his broken automail heaving just to breathe. He jerked from Bob's hold, but Bob kept his grasp.

"He hates it!" I said.

"I know," said Bob. "But I can't have you following me."

Bob yanked Maes down in the chair and bent over him like an animal about to eat another animal.

Mom rushed to the table's edge, her hand stretched out. "Don't do it. We won't follow you. I swear!"

"Don't you remember?" said Bob. He held Maes against the chair's back and shoved Maes's hand away from his chest. "I can't trust you."

"No!" Mom said.

I watched from the floor as Bob pinned Maes down with an elbow and ripped the remains of automail out of his broken chest. At first Maes screamed as the metal broke from his flesh and bones. Then blood started pouring from the edges the piece and Maes made this choking noise. The automail started giving and Maes threw his head back with no more voice in his throat, his face flexing like he needed to scream. His body jerked and vibrated, practically convulsed. Mom got to Bob in time to make him stop, but she didn't get him to stop fast enough. She dragged him backward onto the table, automail, materials and tools sliding off onto the floor. He fell off the opposite edge and landed on the ground, totally at Mom's mercy. But he had Maes's bloodied automail in his hands.

I bolted to my feet. "Maes, no!"

I could see his body contracting, working hard to breathe with nothing much to breathe with. I hovered over him, meeting his wide, fading eyes. "It's going to be okay," I said. The hole in his chest was gaping and streaming blood straight down his stomach into his lap. The areas where the piece had been bolted into bone had left odd dents in his chest and broken rib bones splintering through his ripped skin. His insides smelled like the storm; wet and humid. I blinked hard. Not going to black out now.

Maes's eyes fought to roll back and his lips turned purple and then blue. His hand brushed my elbow and I realized he was trying to hold onto me. "It'll be okay," I sniffed. I heard Bob's voice cry out and I wondered if Mom had just killed him. I looked at the floor, at all the automail with human ingredients that Maes had built, that Mom had brushed off the table dragging Bob's body. I took a breath. "It's going to…" I scooped up one of the automail clusters off the floor with one hand. "It's going to be okay." I looked at Maes as I moved to stand over him. "You're only eighteen. It's okay if you move on. I might not recognize you after this."

Maes's fading eyes brightened for a split moment. I heard Mom say my name. I felt my body sob. "Goodbye." I held the ball of automail against Maes's gaping chest and let all my weight fall against it, thrusting the uniform piece inside of him. His body jolted. Blood was pouring out much faster now. I forced my left arm up and clapped my hands against each other. "Thirteen, Eighteen, Twenty-two, Twenty-three, Twenty-five, Twenty-seven, Twenty-nine. All of you." I pressed my already glowing hands deep in the damage. "Go now!"

If I was a maple leaf…Don't think. If I'm thirsty for water, I'll drink the rain. It's everywhere. I never saw rain until I left the lab. Water fell from the sky. I would've thought I was living the good life from that alone. But Mom put me in dresses, lots of dresses. I hadn't realized there was more than one dress in the world. I loved that blue dress, that first dress. Mommy said she'd never throw it away. I was in it when they found me. When they found me standing in the rain.

Maes let out a small cry which meant he had lungs to push his voice out. I blinked hard, focusing my vision, refocusing every one of my senses. Things were hazy still. My head hurt like it was a dam ready to break.

Mom was kneeling by Maes, smiling and holding his hand. Maes was leaning back in the chair, black traces of automail dripping from his mouth, eyes closed, panting. My hands were resting on his mended chest, resting on a new scar than extended beyond both my hands combined.

Healed but the blood was still leftover everywhere. Was that the blood or was it the rain dripping off my hair, like black worms, remember?

His chest was breathing breathless, but it was exhausted breathing. His breaths themselves felt strong under my palms.

Why was this so new to me?

The transmutation sparks fizzled out around my fingers. It was nice, seeing him with a completely flesh body for the first time.

What had his body looked like before?

He breathed more evenly and opened his eyes. His face was free of pain. Lightening flashed, thunder roared, and he grinned. His teeth were too white. I didn't like it.

"Nina, you…" He laughed, wiping away wet black stuff from the corner of his mouth. "You…"

I felt my smile tremble on my lips. I couldn't remember his name. I knew his face, but the dam was breaking and I knew a lot of faces. I knew too many names. My knees gave and I fell forward. He stood with ease to catch me. "Nina?"

If I was a maple leaf, I'd be a leafy red maple leaf, my cozy, nutty red blood…

"Sweetie, you need to snap out of this." She smelled like rain. She was soggy with it. That made me laugh.

"Nina, wake up!" said the man holding me. The man. The man. He was named something and that name was…Who was he, exactly?

"I…" I chuckled. "I am awake. I'm awake and blinking and thirsty and I think I see some dead guys so I'll steal their water and lick the blood off that one's face, okay? Okay."

His arms held tight onto me so I couldn't get a drink. Had I been bad? I never knew what I'd done wrong. I never! My head hurt. It hurt! The damn was breaking. It was leaking. I was feeling it, pain and happiness and sadness and anger and everything for thirty people. I could feel all the thoughts of thirty minds dripping through my conscious, every thought we'd ever had and should have had and would have had if we'd been together just a little longer. It was enough to make me sick to my stomach.

I grabbed onto the arm holding me up. "Something terrible is happening to me. I think you're someone important to me." I cringed as my head pounded, bursting through my ears like hammers. "I can't. Can't, can't, can't! I can't keep hold of my mind. I can't be your favourite anymore."

"Shut up." His arms held me. His breaths were strong. That was something that made my eyeballs well. "Since when did you have to earn your way in my life? I chose you, Nina Mustang. A broken mind's not going to make you less worth it. Love is unconditional. Don't talk like it's something you have to live up to."

A sob made my body shudder. I opened my mouth, my voice breaking in my throat. "I love you, too."

He touched my wet cheek and looked at me with his heavy golden eyes, tried to smile. His hand tilted my chin up and I found myself kissing him, oddly reminiscent of a kiss goodbye. I almost felt his name in my mind. My head pounded violently like a bass drum was banging on top of it. For a moment my hand tightened on the arm holding me and I wanted to ask for help.

Wet grass is better than white grass if the wet is water not blood.

Then I didn't feel his lips anymore and all I could do was try not to be sick as thirty souls' worth of Truth penetrated my mind and overpowered any control I thought I'd been able to hold onto.

* * *

REPLIES! (longer replies cuz it's getting to the end)

NightTimeSparkle: I was saying to me mom, "No fair! This fanfic's better than my own original stuff." Of course, with my original stuff I don't have reviewers cheering me on the entire time :)

author12306: Haha, I like my bed. I really couldn't care less how big or gorgeous my room is as long as I've got a giant bed to live on. Guess that's my version of a corner :)

KTrevo: Hey, no issue there. I write stories in my head past the end of things all the time. Helps me cope. I've written AU stories in my head that last to Maes and Nina's children's children :P

ZipTheArtsyFox: Roy Mustang gives a whole new meaning to showdowns. I could watch those over and over again. Poor baby gets so freaking emotional when he goes badass.

Harryswoman: Heh heh heh... I think it's a little late for that. But come on. If anyone has to go nuts, Nina's definitely the one to get the job done like a beast.

Hawkstang: I know! You've been reviewing since Babysitting the Boss Guy and even back then I knew it wouldn't end with Roy and Riza. Now it's really going to be solidly over :(

AllIKnowIsImNotAwesome: I'm curious. How many writers answer your reviews with, "Aw, of course you're awesome :)"? Cuz that's totally what I was going to say. But then I decided I sounded like a mom. Thanks, though! Writing in general is just awesome :D

Firaga Productions: Thanks! Insanity is the main focus of most of my hardcore stuff (the stuff that gets published in obscure magazines). I love it! My way of empathizing with the loonies and helping non-loonies get a taste of it XD

mixmax300: I always imagined that if the series continued on by a few decades, Roy and Riza would still be up to their hardcore military action, but on the sidelines Riza would be having hot flashes and Roy would be overdosing on Tums out of Riza's purse after jalapeño cheesesteaks.

pitstop96: Poor Nina. She tries so hard to be boring, but the crazy always finds a way to shine through *sadistic-author grin* Keeping it together just isn't her style, I've noticed.

verry-chan: Yep, that 'uncle or father' moment was definitely foreshadowing. So much in her head that it was spilling out of her mouth, poor boo.

TheKingOfOkay: Oh, dang! That's awesome! The series would be so screwed up if Flame Legacy was part of it. Like, people would keep tabs on me in case an assassination was needed until the episode where Ed turned out alive premiered.

BloodyCookie: Looking back at Nina's antics through her time in Babysitting the Boss Guy, I'm not so sure she was ever really sane to begin with. Part of her charm :)

TH3 GU3ST: Note taken! Haha, that makes me excited. I love a broad audience and I was afraid the fluff and fan-service would be too much for a dude to handle. You have my respect for getting past that :P

sillymessycrazy: Awesome OVA idea! I'll admit, my first idea of Nina and Maes's characters a little over a year ago were pretty much like that. In that version, Nina was biological and didn't know anything about alchemy. Maes came to Central with Sophie and their twin 11yr old brothers for Roy's Fuhrer-versary and Nina got Riza's permission to go back to Resembool with them as long as she brought her personal female bodyguard along. Yeah, that story definitely evolved :S

PhantomhiveHost: Your name's Priya? I always thought that was a really pretty name. It was the name of a minor character in my very first completed novel (which I deleted from my computer because I was 12 and it sucked). Yeah, I'd totally die if I licked my dad's stomach on accident. Nina's lucky her dad's still in shape from the military. My dad's got a hairy chest and could stand to lay off the Taco Cabana. He's cuddly with his shirt on, though :S

elricstriderlovechild: I already answered in a PM, so I feel awkward :S I wrote everyone else a pretty reply. Hm. Fun fact- you burn more calories from chewing and eating celery than you gain from the food itself :D

guardian: Haha! I should go outside too, except I have a deep fear of bugs and my family just so happens to live in an area teaming with the things. Plus, it's 90 degrees out and humid right now. Guess I'll just watch the trees out my window while I write :P

Polarized Penmanship: You mean Lan Fan number two? I think it would be hilarious if the name somehow rubbed off on her and she turned out to be some up-tight square who dedicated her life to protecting Ling. Or maybe she could protect her Uncle Ed and turn the rest of his existence into a living hell with her constant presence. Kill anyone who mentioned his height or put milk in front of him.

SavFFLover: I looked back at Babysitting the Boss Guy a couple days ago and I came across the chapter where they were escaping Clover Valley together. That scene where they're trying to get over the wall and Riza can't climb up it one-handed after getting shot totally reminded me of the Mustangs scaling down the building and Nina dislocating her shoulder and Roy getting shot on the way down. Sorry, Elrics, but the Mustangs have gotta be the most badass family ever. Hands down.

ru-bee: Thanks! As I was writing that blood licking part of the scene, I started thinking about how good it was that Maes or Edward weren't the ones going crazy right there. I'm not sure how many people could handle Ed licking Mustang's tummy :S

KarmaHope: Yeah, definitely a connection with the names. In the first fic, Riza names Nina after Nina Tucker because Nina Tucker was heinously abused by alchemy similar to her. (And because 'Nina Mustang' has a nice ring to it and Riza's already gearing up to keep Nina)

mekikatoka: Thank you. I'm working hard to make the end as good as it can be. Worst thing ever would be an anticlimactic ending :O

DanniMaeAnime92: I'm always sad when a long story has to end, but this one is truly making me sad. Like, it's been three months D: It's become part of my routine. Oh, well. The point of this fic actually started as a lesson to myself of how to pace myself with writing, so I guess I'll just have to channel it into my own work. Can't believe I'm actually upset about that :P


	99. Chapter 99: Life's Unending Flow

Author's Note: In my defense, it is still Friday in some time-zones. That are not my time-zone. Because my time-zone missed my promised deadline by about an hour.

**This puppy was fifty solid pages on Word, ladies and gentlemen, single spaced.** Enjoy the excessive length. I'm surprised this site lets me post this much at a time. This chapter's a novella.

Because of how much of an undertaking this finale chapter turned out to be, **I'm moving my bonus chapter 100's post date to Sunday**. Fanarts and such are still due Saturday. I gotta get that trailer conquered. I'm so close!

**For those who reviewed:** I've been awake since eight in the morning making this chapter pretty (seriously, laptop on lap nonstop to past midnight). I'm going to skip replying to individual reviews tonight. I'd rather wait and go wild on Sunday replying to everyone's reactions to this chapter. Thanks for reviewing, though. I read them all :D

**Enjoy, readers. This end has been three months in the making!**

* * *

Chapter 99: Life's Unending Flow

"What's your name?" I screamed. "What's your name? I swore I wouldn't tell or make fun. What is it?"

They'd folded my arms in front of me and tied my wrists to my elbows so I couldn't clap my hands into a matrix and transmute. If I transmuted I would hurt others and myself. They thought they knew everything, didn't they? They just knew I'd transmute if they untied me. They swore it was best. Who were they to say what was best? Who were they?

"Who are you?" I said fiercely. "Tell me your name right now!"

Her arm twined around my shoulders, forcing me to continue down the stairs. "I already told you nine times, sweetheart. You need to stop asking."

"Just say it, Aunt Riza," said the tall one behind us. "Can't hurt."

I looked back at him. Still wearing that skinny bruised one on this back. He was following us. Why was he following? I faced forward and lurched faster. That woman pulled me back. Wouldn't let me go. Made me keep her pace. He was gaining on us!

I felt my heart pound. My voice rose above it. "Water: thirty five Liters. Carbon: twenty kilograms. Ammonia: four Liters. Lime: one point five kilograms. Phosphorus: eight hundred grams. Salt: two hundred fifty grams. Saltpeter: a hundred grams…"

"Nina, calm down!"

"_Hydrogen's a non-metal, right?" I took a staggered breath. "Atomic mass, one point zero zero seven nine four. That's what it said. That's what the white walls said!"_

It hurt the way they'd tied my arms, pulled the left one to bind it to the right, twisted it in its socket. That woman held so tight to me with her arm around my shoulders. Every time she hugged cozier I felt like I'd be ill. She was cold. She was damp. She was sopping. She had socks on her feet. If she moved too fast she might slip on these metal stairs. Was that why she didn't want to go too fast? Clever girl.

I laughed. "Intelligent, intelligent. Take off your socks, you dumb broad!"

"How are you doing back there, Maes?" she said. "Is he waking up?"

"He's breathing." His voice was so close behind. So close. Tailing us far too close. If he fell, he'd bump me down and I couldn't catch myself with my arms tied.

"Are his socks wet?" I said.

We kept passing doors and going down more steps and passing more doors until, finally, we stood on the floor and there were no more steps to go down. Just the door. The grey door right there in front of us, grey and sturdy with a window facing the stormy outdoors. Aunt Riza turned the knob, hooked her arm around my waist, and guided me through. That man chased us into the rain like I knew he would. He stayed very close to us like he was our friend and the man on his back was our friend. He looked at me and said, "Do you know who I am?"

I frowned. "If you smiled, you would have a really nice one."

His lip curled kind of lopsided around his teeth and he grinned up at the murky morning, letting the rain spatter right in his gold eyes without blinking. Like he hadn't seen rainclouds before and he couldn't take his eyes off them. I bit my dewy lip. I'd guessed right. His smile was nice.

Aunt Riza was staring at him. "Maes?"

He kept his eyes up. Rain was running straight down his neck and dripping off his jaw. "Mom worried I'd catch a chill in the rain when I was little. I never dared go outside with storm-sickness. This is the first time I've ever really..." He tilted his head down with a gentle smile. He met my eyes, blinking raindrops from his lashes. "I guess this is the first time I've felt rain."

"What's it like?" I said. "Maybe I'll feel it sometime. Could you take me?"

His heavy eyes stayed on me. "Yes, Nina. Of course I'll take you."

Something about the way he said that. The way he looked at me when he said it. It made my face feel warm. I swallowed. "You're nice. You can follow us."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"We have to go," said the woman. "I want to find Roy before Ling's men arrive."

I looked at her arm hugging tightly around my shoulders. "What's your name?"

She walked forward, urging me along. I went because I remembered that when I resisted she squeezed my shoulders harder to force me and that hurt a lot so it was better to just go when she wanted to go. Go when they force you to go. That's always best. Don't say a word. Just go. Just go when they force you to go. Just go when they force you to go!

"Calm down, Nina," she said. "It's not like that."

"We are forcing her, Aunt Riza," he said.

Her arm loosened on my shoulders just a little. "It's for her own good. She keeps saying it like I'm hurting her."

"Maybe you are," he said. "You told me she dislocated her shoulder yesterday. Maybe she's just trying to tell you to be gentler."

I looked at her as I felt her eyes on me. I turned to the other one and met his gold eyes. "I don't take Aunt Riza for the rough type. Maybe this person should just man-up a little, am I right?"

His jaw flexed as he ground his teeth. He shook his head. "No, I think this person's doing her best."

I felt my body shake with a laugh. "That guy on your back! The rain's making his blood wash off him like a showerhead." I cackled. "A showerhead!"

"Please…" Aunt Riza's hand rubbed my wet arm. "Please wake up."

"I am awake," I said. I stared forward at the expanse of lumpy, mountainous green ahead of us. "You know, these leaves aren't as red as I'd hoped they'd be."

…

Why was he touching me? Why was he touching me? He was pale and wet and no shirt on his white skin and beige bandages wrapped around his stomach and he was a little skinny, wasn't he? He'd hugged her then he'd seen me and he'd hugged me. He'd rubbed my bound arms and kissed my rainy forehead. He'd smiled at me and said words then he'd frowned at the others and said words. He told them, "What's wrong with her?"

I squinted at him. "Why are you touching me?"

Maes set down the beaten body against a tree trunk where it wouldn't get too wet anymore. "He's your father, Nina," he said. He sat on the ground and wrapped his soaked shirt around the sleeping man's floppy body.

"She knows who I am," said my father. "Don't you, Nina?"

When people said 'Nina' that meant I had to look up and say something. "You are my father."

My father seemed pleased. Aunt Riza put her hand on his back and said, "She's just repeating what Maes said. Sit down. I need to explain…"

I dropped down next to Maes and his body. "Alive or dead?" I said. "Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen. Makes water. Makes the rain, you know? Carbon's part of all living things. That's a fact."

"He's alive," said Maes. He leaned to help me sit comfortably against the trunk next to the body. It was hard for me to shift with my arms tied together.

"Good, good," I said. "It's a pretty thing. You like it a lot, don't you?"

Maes gazed fondly at the bruised sleeper. "It's one of my favourites."

I curled my knees to my chest tucked my head down. Something in my chest thumped and quaked.

"That's a lie!" said Maes.

I looked up. "What?"

He looked kind of angry. His usual face didn't make me think of anger when I looked at it. "You just said you couldn't be my favourite anymore. Again."

I sniffled. "What?"

He stared at me for a long time. His shoulders sank and he patted my head. "Don't worry about it."

I blinked away the warmth running from my eyes and frowned. "Why'd you tie me up? You tied up the evil man with yellow teeth before we left that big house. You tied me up right after. You held me down and she tied my arms like this, like I'm evil just like him. I'm not like him. I didn't kill a lot of people. I'm not a killer!"

Thirty went in. One came out.

"I'm not!" I shouted.

Where are you? Are you in there? Nine? Twelve, Seven, Twenty-eight? I can't feel you anywhere.

"It wasn't my fault," I said. "They made me do it. They…"

My father enveloped me in his arms. Where had he come from? He was bigger than me. He could hold me all the way around like a cage and I couldn't move my arms. I wriggled. "It's okay, Nina," he said. His voice was trembling. "No one thinks it's your fault. You're safe. It's okay."

I managed to pull my leg up to his stomach enough to kick him away with my heel. He made a terrible sound when he reeled back. I didn't like it. It made me restless. He leaned back on his knees and grabbed his side where the beige bandages were turning faint red.

"Nina!" said Aunt Riza, dropping next to my father and putting her hand over his hand on the bandages. My father winced at her gentle touch and she retracted her hand. "Keep pressure on it," she said.

Maes had my ankles now and was holding my feet down against the grass. I squirmed. I'd killed, hadn't I? It was my fault! It was all my fault! That body next to me…

"Liar! He's dead, isn't he?" I thrashed, but Maes just held me down firmer. "I killed him. I killed your favourite!" I stopped thrashing instantly. I shivered. "That's why…" I bowed my head. "That's why you had to tie me up. I killed my Uncle Ed."

"No!" said Maes. "You stop that. You're confused, but you're not evil. You save lives, Nina. You saved your Uncle Ed, remember? He's alive because you saved him."

My father let out a cry as Aunt Riza leaned him back on the grass. I sucked my lip. "Who's my Uncle Ed?"

"Whoever he is," the dead body said croakily, "I'm sure he'd appreciate a healing transmutation when you get the chance."

I glared at his bruised, bloodied face. "What's a transmutation?"

They wouldn't untie my hands. The dead body laughed and ruffled my hair and said thanks for doing something or other for his son. Everyone was telling him to take it easy because he was beat up and had burn marks all over, so I guessed maybe he'd been hit by that lightning, but Aunt Riza told me he'd been hurt by that yellow-toothed man we'd left behind fast asleep in the building. I got an itch on my nose, but they wouldn't untie me so I could scratch it.

"She really can't snap out of it, can she?" said the dead body, peering at me.

"If my fingers snap, the air burns," I said. I laughed. "I can snap better than she can. Watch!"

They curled my hands into balls and bound them like that so they couldn't snap.

I curled up in the grass. Now that the dead body had come back to life, I wasn't Maes's favourite anymore. My father didn't try to touch me again. Aunt Riza made him cringe when she put her hands on the place I'd kicked him and told him I needed space. He looked at me for a long time. All the time just staring at me. I hid my eyes. I curled up. I curled up in the grass. I wasn't anyone's favourite and my eyelids were heavy and my head hurt and…

"Nina! Nina, wake up. It's just a dream."

I jumped in my skin. There was a young man shaking me, telling me to wake up. I squinted my eyes at him, felt around for his name. He stopped shaking me and brushed the black hair out of my eyes. Not like worms anymore. Felt crisp and dry on my forehead.

"My arms are fused," I said. My throat felt scratchy like I'd been yelling. I cleared my throat. "They've fused together and I can't pull them apart. Are you my doctor?" He didn't look like a doctor. He looked like he needed a doctor.

"I'm not your doctor, Nina," he said. "I'm your friend. Maes."

"Will it hurt when you cut them apart?" I said.

He sighed. "We'll leave them how they are until we get to the hospital," he said. "Then I can give you medicine so you won't feel it when they come apart."

"Good deal," I said. I struggled to sit upright without my arms free to push me up. "What's your name?"

"I'm Maes."

"Who's Maes?"

"Nina, we have to stand up now," he said. "Your mother just scouted down the mountain a ways. There are people coming to take us home very soon."

"How soon?"

He put his hand on my back and urged me to stand. "We have to go back to the building so we can explain what happened when the nice soldiers arrive."

I bit my lip. Go back to the building. I knew which building he was talking about. It was that one with all the dead people under the holes in the roof. I decided I liked the walls better when they were perfect white without red splattered on them. I hung my head. "Please, don't make me go back there."

"I'm going to be right there with you," he said. "And so will both your parents and your Uncle Ed, too."

I shook my head. "It hurts. Everything inside my head. It hurts. There's too much of it. More than for just one person. I can't remember his name. I can't remember Yao's name."

A woman with pretty brown eyes squatted next to me. "Was it 'Bob'? Was that his name?" Her voice was so gentle. She brushed my cheek with her knuckles tenderly. "Bob can't hurt you, Nina. Not anymore."

"Did I end him?" I asked.

"No," Dr. Maes chuckled. "But Aunt Riza nearly did."

The woman rolled her brown eyes. "I simply knocked him out. Made it easier to restrain him, anyway. It's not like we could have brought him with us with Edward unconscious and Nina…"

I sucked my lip. She was looking at me in a way that made me uncomfortable.

"Nina's my name, isn't it?" I said. "Of all the names racing in my head, 'Nina' bumps my ears the most." I smiled. "It's a nice name."

"Yes, it is," said the woman with an unevenness to her tone. "I thought it had a nice ring to it."

"It suits you," said a young man with gold eyes. He was sitting right next to me with his hand on the small of my back. He was so close. His smile was crooked and his hand was warm through my near-dry dress. It made my face warm. "You know, you really do look like a Nina."

I swallowed. "What's your name?"

His gold eyes sank a little like I'd said the wrong words. Did he have a stupid name? Maybe he didn't have one. "Maes," he said. "My name's Maes."

Maes and the woman helped me to my feet and led me away from the tree and into the sunlight. The sky was pretty. Only a few misty grey clouds blotching the perfect blue. Everywhere my bare feet stepped was soggy like a cool wet sponge. At first it was weird between my toes and it made me a little cold, but then I got more used to the feeling and it got to be somewhat enjoyable. Like what I'd always imagined sea foam over sand feeling like at the shore of a beach. I'd always wanted to know what it was like to walk across a beach. Someone had told me that the water there smelled salty and went beyond the horizon. He told me the sand would stick to your skin. He asked me why I couldn't go. What was his name? I could feel it, but there were so many other names pulling at him and pushing their ways ahead.

I cried out from the pressure splitting through my skull. I pulled the name from my thoughts and pushed it out of my mouth. "Selim!"

"No," said a deep voice. Dark eyes focused on me. "My name's not Selim, either. Quit trying to guess before you hurt yourself. I'm your father. Just call me Dad."

"Let it go, Roy," said the woman, still guiding my arm. "She's confused. I doubt she realized she was listing those names out loud in the first place."

We were following the backs of two gangly figures. Two tall men, one young with his shirt off and one older with a worn white shirt draped over his skinny build, his arm hanging onto the younger man who seemed to be helping stay upright. They looked like filthy, wounded angels with their identical golden hair; the younger's was cropped short at the back of his head and the older's had been tied in a long messy ponytail down his back.

"…well when will she go back to normal?" said 'Dad.'

"I don't know, Roy," said the woman holding onto me. "How would I? You think she told me any more than she told you?"

"Of course she tells you more. You're her mother. I can't beat that."

"I'm her mother, not a psychic," said the woman. "She said this morning that she was having trouble 'waking up,' so I guess we just have to be patient."

"Be patient for what?" he said. "What, you mean just wait and see? She's asked me my name five times since we met back up. You seriously think me giving her space is going to snap her out of this?"

"She's just sensitive to new faces," said the woman.

"New faces?" His voice was too loud.

"Calm down, Roy," she said sharply. "You're making her tense up. You keep panicking like this and you'll bust another stitch."

Bust. Bust. Bust, bust, bust. Bust my lip. Busted it good. Split it open and lick the blood, warm and nutty like drinking life. "No," I said. "That's not right. We shouldn't have to consume one another to survive. There's life everywhere. It's in everything, not just in our blood. Just smell the wet grass." I met the man's dark, frustrated eyes. "Why should we have to use each other when we're all one to begin with?"

He held my gaze like he was afraid to let me look away. "I don't know, but…"

I didn't hear the rest of it. Another of those waves of sharp pain shot through my head and I scrunched my eyes shut to block out the daylight. For a split moment, everything hurt like the flu, then I opened my eyes and the sun felt pleasant on my skin again. I turned to the man babbling beside me. Such dark eyes locking with mine. I cut him off mid-sentence.

"What's your name?"

It took him a while to look at me. His face was tense with emotion. He exhaled shakily. "My name's Daddy."

…

There were so many. So many dark figures, dark clothes, soldiers like night time. All around I could hear their voices and see their smiles and glares. So many! Too many. Xing's forces dotted the expanse, flocking with us toward the abandoned white building ahead. That woman with yellow hair talked to the one with the dark birthmark on his chin and made him cry. She held me close to her and made me walk. Maybe it was a mile. One more mile to feel out their names. Too many names, but I had a mile.

It was the shifty-eyed boy in the bright robes and funny hat who stumped me the most. I must've asked for his name five times, but it never kept inside my head. No matter what I tried, something else seemed to push it out and take its place. I felt like I should know his name. I felt like maybe I'd known it before. Maybe that was the problem.

"…and then I get a personal escort from the Emperor himself?" chuckled the old angel. His arm was hanging over the shifty-eyed boy's shoulders and he was limping like he needed the help.

"Well, naturally," said beady-eyes. "I considered heading back to the capital with 'Fumika' and her team once they apprehended the Supremist soldiers, but I couldn't pass up a chance to lecture an old friend about keeping secrets to his grave."

"Are you ever going to let that go?" said the old angel. "Because I'm over it."

"I'll be over it as soon as you recover enough to get what's coming to you." He smiled slyly. "Though, I'm not sure I want to burden my conscience with beating an old man."

"Who's old?" said the old angel with a scowl.

Beady-eyes laughed. "Don't tell me you're already going senile on me, Edward."

"Shut up!" said the old angel. "I'm only thirty nine, you hot-headed little brat! Some couples are still having kids at my age, I'll have you know. You want to talk about old, just look at Fuhrer King Sparky back there. He's practically sixty."

"Fifty three!" said the dark eyed guy beside me.

The old angel sulked. "Crotchety old bastard."

"Watch it, string bean," said dark-eyes. "The 'Amestrian Dairy Farmers' Union has been pushing their request for a national milk appreciation week pretty hard this year."

The old angel's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

The young angel grabbed the old angel's arm. "Dad, when you said some couples your age are still having kids, did you mean you and mom were thinking about…?"

The old angel paled. "I don't feel too good."

The woman holding my waist shook with laughter. So did the man with the dark eyes. His laugh boomed in my ear, and the boy with the shifty gaze laughed rough like sandpaper. Everything around me seemed rough and booming. All uncomfortable and claustrophobic. I pulled and shoved from the woman holding on to me, but she just held tighter.

"Nina, what's the matter?" She was speaking in a sweet voice, the kind of voice mothers used when their children needed comfort. She forced me to walk straight and I hated it. I hated it! "Nina, calm down!"

"I hate this!" I said. "I hate all of you! You know everything and you love each other and you know what to call one another without even thinking about it. I hate you. I hate you!"

The woman stopped making me move forward. The others, all those happy, together others, stopped with her. I was encircled. I was crowded. I was trapped. My head banged, pressure inside and out. Too much, too much, too much!

I blinked at the young man in front of me the with older man's arm hanging over his shoulders. He wasn't like the others. He was younger and his robes were more colourful. He had shifty eyes and it made me uncomfortable the way he stared at me with them.

"What's your name?" I asked.

His shifty eyes widened slightly. "I…I'm…" He trailed off and turned to the dark haired man standing close beside me. "Am I supposed to answer her every time, or is it just rhetorical at this point?"

I looked up, beyond the green grass and hills and mountains and people and sky and sun and clouds and trees and…

That building. That white concrete building. So tall. So wide. I'd seen it before. Stark white. Trapped in stark white. Bodies dropping down the stairs. Under the hole in the roof, heaped and piled and laying there, still and red. Alive or dead, just sleeping perhaps, blood on his face, right in his face, who could say? Say it!

"D-don't." I felt my insides churn and twist. My knees felt weak and my head felt heavy. Heavy and achy. Pressure built up behind my eyes until hot beads of liquid burst out of the inner corners and leaked down my face. I shook all over as I stared at the building ahead. "P-please don't make me go back. I can smell it from here. Can smell the…" my eyes were unblinking, pinned to the evil concrete ahead. "The carnage. The death. I know it's there. I saw it. I saw them bleeding. I don't want to…I don't want to be near it."

The woman holding me held me tighter in a softer way that helped me decide not to fight her on it this time. "Hush, Nina. It's okay. Most of them were just unconscious, remember? I promise. They're tied up and waiting for us. We're going to be right there with you. We just have to help the Emperor and his men understand what's been going on. The killing part is over, alright?"

I shivered. I tried to back up in her arms, but she held me where I was, wouldn't even let me back away. I shook my head frantically. "It's not right. It's not right in there. I can't. I can't." My shoulders quaked. "Can't go back. I'm too afraid."

The man with the dark eyes set his heavy hand on my head. "It's okay, Nina. Daddy won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

I felt myself shaking harder, heard myself sobbing.

"Nina…" He took his hand off my head as the woman holding my waist gave him a stern look.

"Stop it," said a new voice. I looked up. The young angel, the one with the broad pink scar across his pale chest, had his eyes on the woman holding my waist. He left the side of the old angel and walked carefully across the damp grass to where I stood. He stopped within two feet of me. "We're going about this wrong, don't you think, Nina?"

I sniffed. I nodded.

"You don't want to take another step forward, do you?" he said.

I shook my head.

He looked at the others. "Go on without us. I'm going to keep Nina company until you get back from inspecting the base."

The arm tightened on my waist possessively. "She needs me now. I can't leave her like this."

The young angel folded his arms almost identical to the way mine had been tied. "How do you think she'll handle it when they arrest Yao right in front of her? One of the main reasons we left him behind was because she kept freaking out over him. She doesn't need to see him again. Her mind's working hard enough trying not to remember as it is."

"She's not going to recognize him," argued the dark haired man bitterly. "She can't even recognize her own parents."

"Of course she'll recognize him," said the young angel. "She just won't know what she's recognizing or why it makes her feel the way it does. She's confused, not oblivious. I'm telling you, it's a bad idea."

"Then I'll stay with her," said the woman. "Maes, you probably know more about what went on in that building than any of us. You go on and tell Ling what you know. I can look after Nina."

The beady-eyed boy shook his head. "I don't want anyone questioned until we get back to the Palace. This situation is too chaotic as it is right now. If Nina needs to stay behind, any of you who need to can stay behind with her. You said their leader was tied up on the sixth floor, correct? I'm sure we can find him on our own."

"No," said the dark haired man. "No, that's not a good idea. Whether you question us at the Palace or not, you'll still want details while your inside the building itself. From what Riza told me, there may be some casualties." The man looked at me. "Nina could probably use some space, anyway. Having all these concerned people around her seems to be smothering her. She's threatened by me and, like it or not, Riza's got her overwhelmed with all the mothering from a stranger."

The woman holding me looked like she'd been betrayed. "Hold on—"

"Listen to Maes," said the dark haired man. "He's usually right. Let's leave her in his hands until we get back. Knowing him, it'll probably do her some good."

The woman looked upset by that, but she surrendered. "I'll admit you have a handle on calming her down, Maes."

"I'm hoping if she stays behind," said the young angel, "she won't need calming down."

He said his name was Maes and he said the wounded one was his father. They would stay with me in the grass because they said I was afraid to go inside the building with the others. I asked Maes why I was afraid, but I couldn't remember his reply. The masses of people continued on without the three of us. They all dressed the same like they wanted to be each other. There were a few who walked together who wore their own kinds of clothes. They kept looking back at me, probably because I was wearing my own kind of clothes just like them. I asked Maes if we were supposed to walk with them, but I couldn't remember his reply. Since we ended up staying in the grass with his worn out father, I supposed his answer had been no. The way Maes helped his father lean his back against a mossy trunk and urged him to sleep made me think we'd had to stay behind because Maes's father couldn't go on and he needed us to take care of him.

"Sleep, Dad," said Maes. He had his hand on his father's shoulder very lightly, probably so as not to put pressure on any of the injuries. "You want to be strong for Mom when she sees you."

"Not now," said his father. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he was keeping them open nonetheless. "Maybe on the ride home."

"Dad," said Maes quietly. "It's over."

His father's eyes opened just a little wider. The gold in his irises was tarnished like he'd somehow managed to injure the colour of his eyes along with the rest of his body. He looked away. "I know that, kiddo. Don't worry about me."

Maes took his hand of his father's shoulder. "Just rest your eyes for a while, okay?"

Maes left his father alone and came to sit with me in the grass. He said, "He's using me to keep him awake." Maes said his Dad didn't want to fall asleep. I asked why that was, but I couldn't remember Maes's reply. Maybe he didn't give one. He seemed very uneasy about it.

I looked over my shoulder after about ten minutes and caught Maes's father lying back with his hand soothingly placed on his tummy and his mouth wide open with snores. I smiled. "Hey, he's asleep."

"Yeah," said Maes. "I know."

I bit my lip. "But you look completely miserable."

Maes nodded. "That building you're afraid to go back to…" He took a glance at his father. "Me and Dad didn't want to go back either. They did bad things to him while we were there. They'd hurt him until he passed out. Wasn't hard with how weak he is still. Then they'd wake him up by burning his body with a fire iron. Three days of that just to keep me working. I'm surprised he managed to walk this far, but it is my dad after all."

I blinked. "Is that why he didn't want to fall asleep? Did he think you were going to wake him up with a fire iron?"

Maes chuckled. "Something like that."

"He must be pretty dumb," I said, "to be afraid of something that would never happen."

"No," said Maes. "That's the worst kind of fear and it can get the better of anyone." He looked at me in a way that made me think he wanted something. "I knew a girl who had nightmares every time she closed her eyes, about something that happened nineteen years ago. She wasn't dumb at all. She was one of the smartest people I've ever met, just as smart as my dad. I think that made it tougher on her."

The subtle affection in his voice when he talked about this girl put an empty ache in my stomach and something about it made me flush up. I sucked my lip and looked at my bound arms. "So, who was this girl? A friend?"

Maes drew his knee to his chest. "My best friend."

"Oh." I found myself frowning at that. "She sounds nice."

He laughed. "She was a lot more than just nice."

"What happened to her?" I said. When I didn't hear an answer, I half wondered if I'd missed it again. But then he spoke in a near mutter.

"She's lost." I looked up to see him hanging his head. Was he ashamed?

"Have you tried looking for her?" I said.

He shook his head. "Not that kind of lost."

I folded my arms. "What kind of lost?" I giggled. "Lost her marbles?"

He didn't laugh. His eyes got heavier. He looked forward.

I bit down on my lip. "Oh, damn! Totally did not think that through."

"No, it's okay," he said. "None of this is your fault. I'm just glad I get to talk to you. It usually doesn't last this long."

"Um…" I rocked back and leaned on my elbows. "Hey, mind if I ask you something? It's been bugging me ever since you introduced yourself."

He pricked up a little. "Yeah, what is it?"

I gestured with my bound elbow to his left hand hugging his knee. "Is that alchemy? I'm sorry. I couldn't help but notice. You have the remnants of a transmutation circle smudged across your palm."

He looked stunned, bringing his hand up to look at it like he hadn't known the mark was there. "I thought the rain had gotten it. Jeez, it's barely a few flecks. You could tell what that was?"

"Well, sure," I said. "You'd have to be pretty stupid not to. Or blind." I laughed.

"You know about alchemy?" he said.

I shrugged. "Who doesn't? It's the fundamentals of life. It's wired into our souls' circuits."

"Maybe you shouldn't think about it anymore," he said.

I looked at him. He was tensed like I'd said something wrong again. Tensed like he had been when he'd talked about…

"Does alchemy remind you of your lost friend?" I asked.

His eyes stirred like he was disturbed. "I think it would be best if you didn't think about it." He was getting tenser.

I frowned. "What did you do?" I leaned on my knees. "You let her get in too deep, didn't you? Did she commit the taboo? Did you do it with her? What was your price, huh? Was it her? Did you lose her to the Truth?"

Maes hugged his other knee to his chest. "It wasn't like that."

I got in his face. "But that's it, isn't it? You lost her to alchemy somehow. That's why you're sulking about her. Her mind got warped by it, didn't it? And now you've lost her to the most inescapable laws science has to offer. Jeez, is that what you're so upset about?"

Maes smiled dryly. "Leave it to you to make it sound petty."

I rolled my eyes. "You doofus. What are you doing waiting around for? Alchemy's not the kind of thing that just gives people a break. If you want your friend to go back to normal, you're going to have to work for it."

His eyes were looking at me like something about my rant was amusing. "And how would you suggest I go about that?"

I sat back on my butt and sucked my pouty lip. "I don't know. She's your friend. You're an alchemist, right? So you have the ability to research old theories and create new ones. You could join the military…"

Maes cracked up loudly. What a total jerk. I was being serious!

I scowled. "Hey, you want your pal back or not? Try swallowing your pride, buddy. The military may not be the most glamorous place for a respectable alchemist, but the research material and funding they provide can't be beat. If you want answers that haven't been discovered yet, becoming a State Alchemist is your first step." I smirked. "That heap of dogs could use some quality research for once. Weapons research is so two Fuhrers ago, am I right?"

Maes wasn't laughing anymore. He stared at me, his face nearly blank but for the slight hint of restlessness in his gaze. He knit his brow. "You never said you wanted that."

I laughed. What a dipstick. "What I want has nothing to do with your friend. I'm sure she'd have her own opinions on the matter and you'd know better than me. Though, personally, I think it's selfish not to use the gifts you're given, you know?"

Maes looked over his shoulder at his father. Still sleeping heavy. "The military, huh?" He sighed, turned his gaze back to me. "You would suggest something like that, wouldn't you?"

"There are plenty of other people suffering out in the wide world besides this friend of yours." I looked down at my bound arms. "If I could do what you alchemists do, I'd do what it took to stop as much of that suffering as I could with the life that I had."

Maes's face crumpled for a split moment. He turned his eyes down and regained himself. "With the life that you had." He shook his head. "Yeah, you're definitely still you."

I curled my legs close and swung my folded arms over them. Maes was staring at me now. Funny thing was I couldn't bring myself to tell him to stop. I liked his eyes. There was something comforting in them. There was something familiar about Maes that I couldn't put my finger on. I wasn't too familiar with anything around here. It hurt my head to try to recognize the world. I hadn't even gotten used to the sound of my own voice yet. I had a feeling it wasn't supposed to be like that.

"She's lucky," I said quietly. "This friend of yours. She's lucky to have someone who still thinks about her even though she's lost."

Maes smiled half-heartedly. "I love her, whether she has the ability to comprehend that or not."

I bit down on my lip. My heart pounded in my chest, pumped blood to my face so it burned. "I hope she stays lost forever!"

My head felt like a fever, so hot it ached. I scrunched my eyes, suddenly photosensitive. Stop, stop, stop! It hurt. I took a breath. Had to calm down. The heat died gradually.

I let my eyes open. I was in a field, a bumpy field with hills and valleys and mountains making the landscape akin to a maze. So green it made me want to roll around in it. There was a man sitting next to me, buckled over laughing. He had a nice laugh. His smile was pleasantly lopsided.

"Excuse me," I said. "What's your name?"

His laugh dropped that instant. He sat up straighter, but still purposefully hunched in his own way. His eyes weren't bright with laughter anymore. All that brightness had died and he looked like there was a slight chance he would cry. He hunched. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I loved her. Of course that would upset you. You're confused, not oblivious. You're still Nina."

"Um…" Was he okay? "If you don't want to tell me who you are, that's fine, but why did you tie my arms together? Am I your hostage? This place is beautiful. I don't mind staying for a while. Except that building up ahead. It's ugly and it smells like…" Pain shot through my skull. It smelled like? It was a mile away. I couldn't have smelled it if I tried. It had to be something else, but trying to figure that out made my head ache more.

"Stop," said the young man. He gripped my shoulders, the left gentler than the right. "Nina, stop. Don't think about it. You'll reset yourself again."

I looked up at him, his firm stare. I blinked. "Nina's a pretty name."

He released my shoulders and plunked back down in the grass. He sighed. "Yep, it sure is." He met my eyes. "My name's Maes."

Maes. Maes. Maes. I nodded. "Alright." I smiled. "Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

His shoulders sank and he looked away, resting his gaze on his lap. "It's not your fault. Don't think that when I get frustrated it's anything you did. I know it's not your fault. I figured it out. All those souls in your life-force were shielding you from being overpowered by the Truth. Now that they're gone, you're completely exposed to it, so you protect yourself by turning off your mind completely. If you don't think, the Truth can't touch you." He hugged his arms. "Every time you take on too much to think about, your mind has to reset. I watched you during the storm. The noise, the chaos. You were resetting twice in five seconds. It strained you just to focus enough to walk."

I blinked. "I didn't catch your name through any of that."

He looked at me and patted my head like I was a child. "It's not your fault."

I frowned, jerked away from his dumb patting. My face burned. "What do you think you're doing? You're already in love with your best friend, remember, Maes? What do you think she'd say if she saw you with your hands all over another girl, huh?"

The young angel froze. He swallowed. "Nina?"

"Oh, so that's her name." I huffed. "That's a really trashy name. Sounds like a diner waitress. Why don't you name her something good, like 'Antoinette' or 'Pamela Hendrix'?"

Maes chuckled. "I love you."

My face straightened and my voice said. "I love you, too." I shut my mouth. My cheeks flared, closed my eyes and shook my head, swallowing. "Untie me," I muttered. "My head hurts and I can't think. I can't. I just want to go home, but I don't know what that even means and I just…" I shuddered. "I smell blood everywhere and I can't make it stop."

I felt his arm around me, hugging me to his warm side. I thought of struggling, but my body decided it was tired and let itself lean on him. He was so easy to lean on, like I'd had practice at it. His breaths were so strong. I opened my eyes and stared at the discoloured scar stretching over his chest. I looked down at the scars scattered over my arms and legs. I trembled. "It's me, isn't it? I'm the girl you lost."

He went rigid. His arm squeezed me. "I wonder if there's a way to get you to reset to this every time."

I sucked my lip. "I…" He. Who was he? Why couldn't I remember his name? I stared up at him just to make sure I wouldn't forget his face. Those eyes. Those gold eyes. Where had I seen them? How long had I known this man? I sniffled. "I'm sorry. I don't remember you."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault."

I closed my eyes. "Untie me?"

I felt him sigh against me. "Nina…" He was cut off. His voice died in his throat at the sound of a cry that came hauntingly familiar to my ears. The voice was male, raised with pain and raspy like he'd screamed a lot prior. I looked over my shoulder and I found myself screaming too at the sight of it. I smelled blood. The grass was rich with it. Maes jumped up and bolted to the body of his father, the source of the blood.

"Stay there," he said. Said it like he'd nail me to the ground if I got up. I stayed.

I felt my body shuddering all over as I watched Maes drop beside the bloody mess leaned against the mossy trunk. The tree was a good twenty feet from where I sat, but I could see Maes searching for the wound amongst the gushing, could hear his voice clearly. "Dad? Dad, what happened?" I watched him lift his father's limp arm. He squeezed tight to the wrist. Red ran through his fingers. "Dad, look at me. Did you do this to yourself?" His voice was breaking like what he was looking at made him afraid. "Dad, look at me!" Maes's dad didn't seem to be awake, or at least he wasn't responding. I could see Maes smudging blood, tracing with his fingers. A healing matrix. It had to be. I could just barely hear Maes say, "I'm going to make it stop." Then I heard something else and I looked to my side toward the sound of footsteps across wet grass.

The man was tall, older, and covered in blood that I couldn't decide was his. His small eyes focused on me in a way that made me feel like prey. But he was smiling. His yellow teeth were aligned into a perfectly friendly grin. He was smiling at me. That meant he was on my side.

He stopped in front of me, barely three feet between us. I stared up at him and he stared down at me. I looked at his hand. He was holding a long sword, one that looked like it had been used many times. I watched the blood slowly dripping from the tip. It had been used recently as well.

"He didn't do it to himself, did he?" I said, staring at the slightly sullied sword. "You injured Maes's father. Why?"

"His life isn't in danger," said the yellow-toothed man. "Not with Maes Elric's skill level, though it may take him a while to get it under control. I just wanted to talk alone."

"What's your name," I said.

The man chuckled. It was warm, but the sound of it made me uneasy, like I knew it to be a bad sound. He smiled with an edge. "You can call me Bob."

I closed my eyes.

"Everything alright?" said Bob.

"Just a headache," I said. I looked up at him. "Will you untie me, Bob?"

His yellow teeth grinned. "It would be my pleasure." He knelt in front of me to slide the side of his sword across the bonds around my folded arms and hands, the blood from the tip smudging the rope as it cut. The rope pulled loose as I separated my arms. It dropped to the grass. I clenched and unclenched the circulation back into my hands.

"Thank you," I said. I rotated my shoulders back, getting the feeling in them. I winced. "Ouch!"

Bob seemed very concerned. "Is everything alright, young lady?"

"My shoulder," I said, cradling my left arm. "Damn, that hurts. Must've tied me too tight, I guess."

"Yes." Bob sank comfortably to his knees, resting his sword neatly in the grass beside him. "I've been watching you, young lady. You seem to be very confused about some things."

I chuckled. "Yeah. Some things." I looked at him. The way he was sitting was supposed to be leisurely I gathered, but he was so erect, so formal, like he wasn't completely relaxed. As dirty and tattered as his robes were now, they looked like they had been pretty well designed at one time. This man, this yellow-toothed man. Something about him wasn't right. "Bob…" I knew his name. I knew it. Maybe…I knew him. "Bob, who am I?"

Bob touched my chin affectionately and clicked his tongue at me. "Oh, how he's deceived you. The very woman he loved."

I looked over at Maes, still tending his father with desperate transmutations. "He said alchemy did this to me."

"I wouldn't say that," said Bob. "You performed everything as it should have been."

"Me?" My heart skipped. "I don't…I didn't think…" I glared. "He made it sound like…but no. He didn't lose me to alchemy. I lost myself to it. I did this."

"Oh," said Bob sorrowfully. He touched my hair. My hair was black. "It wasn't your fault, Nina." My head throbbed; Maes had been saying the exact same thing. "He was the one who overdid it."

I leaned forward, heart pounding. "What did he do? What did he do to me? Why can't I think straight?" I cringed. That hurt my head.

Bob took my hand gently. "Calm yourself, Nina. You'll make it worse."

I trembled. "Please. What happened to me?"

He smiled comfortingly. I tightened my hand with his. "Maes was sick," said Bob softly. He didn't like to bring it up. I could tell. "He was very sick and the two of you were searching for ways to save him. You were such a strong alchemist. I knew you'd find a way, and you did. You found a key to immortality that didn't involve a Philosopher's Stone."

My stomach lurched. The idea made me feel irrationally ill. I hugged my tummy and shook my head. "I don't remember."

"Of course you don't," said Bob. "Maes insisted that you perform it before you were ready. The transmutation would heal him without making him immortal, but there were immense risks. He was too afraid to wait. He pushed you until you agreed."

"Equivalent exchange," I muttered. I clutched my aching head. "My mind for Maes's body. It makes sense." I felt weak. "That's why he won't fight for me. If I get better, he'll die. Why didn't he tell me?"

Bob shook his head sadly, petting my hair. "He convinced himself it would be a price worth paying as long as he never left you."

_I love her, whether she has the ability to comprehend that or not._

"Oh, and that makes it better," I scoffed shakily. "Yeah, sure, he loves me. Never bothered to mention if I ever loved him in the first place. I'll bet he did this to trick me into falling for him! I bet this is what he wanted!"

_He'll disappoint you. He'll hurt you. There will be times where you need him and he won't be there for you._

I squeezed my eyes shut. "I hate it!"

_But that doesn't matter, because love is a commitment and happiness is a decision._

My head pounded inside, pressure building around the outside of my skull. I whimpered. "What commitment? I didn't decide this!"

I could see him. I could see his smile behind my closed eyes. I could see his crooked grin smirking at my dad…

The base of my skull felt like I'd slammed my head back on a pillow made of rusty nails. I sobbed into my palms. "Bob, make it stop. Please. You're our friend, right? You can help us. Make me better."

Bob put his arms around me in a snuggly hug. The smell of old blood was ripe on his clothes, but I leaned into his embrace despite it. Just wanted it to stop.

"Oh, sweet Nina," he said gently. "I was afraid if I tried to help you, Maes might stop me. But I…I think I may know a way to clear your mind without using Maes's health as your price."

My heart leapt. "Really? What is it?"

"Well, it is risky…"

I pulled out of his hug, smiling wildly. "What is it, Bob? Tell me! I'll do it. I'll do it right now if I can."

A smile twitched on the corners of Bob's mouth, but it stopped there and he remained composed. "I don't know precisely how you managed to help Maes, but I do understand that whatever you did was incomplete. Perhaps if you completed the transmutation, it would release your mind from this torment."

"You mean…" I scrunched my brow. "You mean make Maes all the way immortal?"

"I'm not sure he'll let you," said Bob. He shrank like he was scared. "If he finds out I talked to you, he'll probably try to make you reset so you won't know up from down anymore."

_I wonder if there's a way to get you to reset to this every time._

I sniffed. "I don't want to hurt him."

"Of course not!" said Bob. "That's why…" He looked solemn. He lowered his eyes. "That's why I volunteer myself as your candidate."

I blinked. Bob? "Make Bob immortal." I massaged my temple. "Those words…feel wrong."

"You're confused," Bob said sharply. I looked at him. He softened. "Please, Nina. It would be an honour to help you in any way that I can. If you can somehow remember how you did it the first time, I urge you to complete the transmutation on me. Quickly, before Maes sees us."

I scowled. "And makes me this way forever. What a freaking pansy. Couldn't wait for me to figure out a stupid transmutation. I'll bet I was head over heels for him. I'll bet he totally took advantage of my feelings and made me do it for him. I wouldn't have done it if I'd been thinking straight. I know I wouldn't. I would've waited like a good girl. I'm a good girl, right? And they give me a water because I—"

"Get the hell away from her!" Maes's voice was angry. Felt like he was dangerous when he was angry. "Step away, Yao. I don't want to have to kill you in front of her."

He was standing tall halfway between his recovering father and where Bob was comforting me in the grass. His gold eyes flashed with icy hatred. From where he stood, I couldn't seem to figure out whether he was looking at Bob or me. He clenched his freshly bloody fists so hard his arms shook. It was as if he was restraining himself.

"Please, Maes," said Bob, clearly terrified. He took my hand. "I just want to help the young lady."

"Step back!" said Maes. I wondered why he wasn't coming closer. Was it the sword next to Bob? No, Bob wouldn't hurt anyone. He loved us. He was on our side.

"Please, Maes!" begged Bob. He had tears in his eyes. "I mean you no harm. Just let me help her. You want to help her, don't you?"

Maes smiled bitterly. "You've got to be kidding."

The way Maes was smiling. He wasn't happy to see us. He wasn't on Bob's side. He was mocking us. He thought I was beyond help, didn't he? He didn't think it was even worth a try. I wasn't worth fighting for! I stood. "Leave us alone!"

Maes's eyes widened, the tension in his fists slackening. The hatred softened. He was startled, but I couldn't seem to find any surprise in his expression. Like he'd already known I'd sided with Bob. He just hadn't anticipated the edge in my voice. I hadn't really expected it until I heard it come out of my throat.

"Nina," he said. "You're confused."

"Of course I am!" I said, stamping my foot like a child. "You made me do the incomplete transmutation so you'd get better and now I can't think straight. Bob told me everything." I looked down at my little friend. "But he knows how to get me back to normal. I just have to find a way to complete it. I have to find a way to make Bob immortal and then…" I laughed. "Then I'll be me again."

"You're already you!" said Maes.

"That's a rotten thing to say," I said.

Maes looked at Bob disdainfully. "If this isn't fighting dirty, I don't know what is."

I turned to Bob. "Let me do it. I want to do it now."

Maes took a step forward. "Don't be an idiot!"

"Go away," I said, sitting down next to Bob. I smiled. "Okay, tell me how I did it last time."

Bob looked to the side. "Well…"

"He lied to you," said Maes. "He wants immortality. That's all he wants, Nina. Don't listen to him."

Wants it? I looked into Bob's sincere, wet eyes. Ha! He wanted me to be happy. That's what he wanted. He was risking his life for this transmutation! "Shut up," I said. I glared at Maes. "This doesn't concern you."

I had to look away. Maes's eyes had changed. There was no hate left in them, not anymore. Not even a little. He was looking at me with an expression like he was watching his childhood pet getting strangled.

Stop looking at me. Stop. Makes my head ache and I hate it. I hated this!

I choked on a breath. "Bob?"

He put his hands on my shoulders. I winced from my left one. He didn't seem to notice. "Calm yourself, Nina. Everything's going to be fine. Just try to remember what you did last time. Remember the Truth." Said 'Truth' like the word was a novelty to him.

"The…Truth?" I shut my eyes. I didn't like saying that.

"Nina," said Maes warningly.

Bob touched my cheek until I opened my eyes to meet his. His eyes were a little like a snake's. Small but piercing. He smiled reassuringly with those yellow teeth. "You have to think, Nina. If you don't think, the Truth can't touch you."

"Yao!" said Maes fiercely.

"How…" I felt dizzy. "How am I supposed to…?"

_All those souls in your life-force were shielding you from being overpowered by the Truth. Now that they're gone, you're completely exposed to it, so you protect yourself by turning off your mind completely. If you don't think, the Truth can't touch you._

If I don't think. If I don't think. The Truth couldn't touch me.

"Souls in my life-force?" I said. "What's my life-force got to do with it?"

"Nothing," said Maes. "Don't think about it."

"Maybe," said Bob, "you have to use your life-force to enhance mine somehow."

I blinked. That sounded wrong. "Is that possible?"

Bob smiled. But it sounded wrong.

"Nina," said Maes. "Nina, just run, okay? Please."

Run? Why would I run? Who was there to run from? Not Bob. Bob was protecting me. But Maes…if I got better, Maes would be angry. Maes would hurt me before he'd let that happen. Run, run, run. "No!" I said. "No, no, no! I'm not going anywhere. I'd rather die than be like this, so go ahead and kill me. I don't care. I don't." I felt my body quake as I caught the look of crippling remorse on Maes's face. Stop looking at me like that.

He stood still, but he looked at the grass between us like he ached to cross it. He shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Nina. I wish you'd just let me die."

A pang shot through my skull and for a flash, I saw an image of his smile again. I looked away. "Why would you say that?" I was speaking quietly and I didn't like it. I sounded uncertain. "It doesn't change a thing."

"I know," said Maes. "I love you."

I hate you.

I shoved Bob aside passive aggressively and got on my feet. "You love me?" I said. "You love me? Is that so? And of course, that justifies everything!"

Maes was silent as I marched at him. I heard Bob's steps close behind. He spoke nervously, "Young lady…"

I stopped in front of Maes by about a couple short feet. Dang, he was freaky tall from this close. I had to look up so far it hurt my neck. I glared at him, hand on my hip. "So," I said, overly calm. "You love me. Okay. That makes so much sense, because love's a commitment, right? So, you saved your sorry ass at my expense and now you're oh so committed to taking care of my destroyed mind until the end of our days. What a freaking martyr. He must really be in love with that crack pot to be so committed. So very committed. So committed he didn't care if he had to screw her over to save himself. Sure she's lost it, but at least he's committed, you son of a bitch!"

"Shut it, Nina!" he said. Whoa, he was glaring. "I'm sorry you're confused, but you're still you and I know you know there's more to love than that. You're acting like a child. Love may be a commitment, but it gets a lot worse. The biggest part of love is you find yourself not putting yourself first all the time. A lot of the time you end up putting yourself last altogether. I've been trying to love you like that since we met each other, but you just won't let me. Somehow you always end up being the one who gets screwed over and I end up better than I was before."

He stepped forward, bumping me and making me stumble back. I tried to get my bearings, to figure out if I was supposed to be upset about that, but then I saw it. The familiarly blood smudged tip of Bob's sword pressed against the lower part of Maes's throat. I looked behind me where Bob was still standing, standing with his sword held steady above my shoulder to reach Maes's vulnerable neck. "Bob?" I muttered. "What are you…?"

Maes kept his eyes focused on me. "You've lost enough, Nina. I won't let him trick you into spending your life-force. I won't let you lose your life on top of everything else." He swallowed against the blade. He…was scared. "It's my turn to love you."

What was that? Why did my eyes hurt? Warmth was running from them and I couldn't make it stop no matter how much I blinked. "I'm crying," I said.

"That's enough, Nina," said Bob. "I'm glad the two of you have made up. It's time for you to perform the transmutation. Don't worry. I won't let him get in the way. You can finish this conversation when it's over."

I sucked my lip. Those yellow teeth in his mouth. I sucked my lip harder. "Maybe later." I looked back at Bob. "Later, Bob. I can wait."

"No," he said. "The transmutation has to be done now or it won't work."

I edged a little further from Bob and a little closer to Maes. "Maybe I shouldn't."

"Nina," said Bob, his tone flattening. "Don't make this complicated."

Complicated? It was simple. I didn't want to. Maes's eyes didn't look at me like a snake.

"Nina!" said Bob impatiently.

Maes locked eyes with me and held my attention. I found myself thinking just a little straighter. With a deep breath, Maes put a tight fist around the sword at his throat. Blood seeped from his grip as he kept the blade from moving. "Nina, run."

I sucked my lip. I ducked under the blade and ran.

Bob's voice shouted after me, made my heartbeat sour inside me. His voice was different, hateful. It sounded familiar to me now. He wasn't on my side. Maes cried out and my head throbbed. I couldn't look back. If I saw his blood I'd reset for sure. The building felt like needles every time I looked at it. There was nothing to run to in the grassy hills opposite, so I ran toward the one safe place I could comprehend. I ran to the mossy tree and fought to wake up Maes's father.

"Get up!" I said, shaking him to the point of whiplash. "He stopped the bleeding. Quit being lazy and wake the hell up!" The man just flopped limp like a doll, pale as china. Bob grunted. Maes cried out sharply. The air glowed electric red and the ground rumbled. I whimpered. "Tell me what Nina would do."

You'd stand the hell up and go rescue your self-sacrificing dumbass before he gets himself killed like more or less an idiot, you freaking wussy!

"That's dumb," I sniffled.

I could barely hear their yells from where I was. Maes had forced Bob away from me, it seemed. I trembled and gave Maes's father another hard shake. I curled into myself. "Reset, Nina," I said. I shut my eyes. "Reset, Nina. Forget this was you."

The air glowed and I could feel the ground vibrate under Maes's transmuting all the way from where I sat. I could hear it. I could hear the ground sizzling, breaking, transmuting. I could sense the magnitude of it, the wind coming off its sheer force. I could hear Maes's voice shouting, "her souls," midsentence. My head turned without me giving it permission. Her souls. Plural.

My mind banged against my skull.

They were dangerously far off. Maes had forced Bob so far from me, but I could see the damage clearly. How could you not? It was nothing short of a masterpiece. Everywhere within twenty feet of them, Maes had transmuted the hill into a winding work of art. The ground shot up in sharp pillars curved and angled toward whatever direction had been necessary at the time. Trees and shrubs had been altered through bio-alchemy into gnarled obstacles enmeshed with thorny vines. Just looking at the transmutations, one would assume Maes had killed Bob nine times over without a hitch. The skill level would've suggested that easily.

But on closer inspection, I realized that the majority of the blood coating the transmutations wasn't inflicted by the transmutations themselves. Moreover, the transmutations seemed to be more like Maes's counterattack after having received blows from Bob's sword. Just by looking at their battlefield, I got a sense that Maes had been using his transmutations more to avert attacks rather than to inflict them.

Bob was presently standing in a two square foot field of spiky steel grass, overgrown to his mid-shin, Maes's attempt at a trap to slow him down. Maes maintained a safe distance; close enough for effective transmutations, but out of range of Bob's sword. Bob's bloody sword.

Maes stood in a tired way, like he'd been sapped of his strength and the only thing holding him up were his bones stacked on each other. I was pretty far away from the action, but Maes was bare from the hips up and I could see the injuries clearly. The worst one practically glinted bloody in the sunlight. He didn't have anything to cover it, the dripping dark red slice just below his ribs. Such a vulnerable area to get cut. He was an incredible alchemist and he seemed agile enough on his own, but I got the feeling he'd never actually really done this.

He's bleeding, moron! Go help him out before he gets himself killed. You know his stupid morals won't let him finish Bob off, and he's always been too sick to try out any of this combat junk for real, you get me?

I grabbed my aching head. "Shut up! I'll get in the way. I don't know anything."

No, you never really did, but you always charged in like a dumbass anyway. Thinking ahead has never been one of your strong points, but that's what makes you good at improvising, am I right?

"Improvising," I muttered. I watched Bob slice through the steel grass with one swipe like a scythe through wheat. Maes backed away with a timid gate, his hand pressed against the cut under his chest so hard I assumed it was bleeding faster than he wanted it to. I nodded. "Improvise. Okay, I can do that."

I jumped at the sound of a pained groan beside me. I looked down as Maes's father peeled open his eyes to look at me. "Nina?" he said. He yawned. "I had the weirdest dream. Yao came out of nowhere and slit my wrist without saying a word, and then he just left…"

I smiled. "It's okay. You can go back to sleep now. I don't need your help anymore."

He blinked tiredly at me. "You okay, kiddo? Where'd Maes run off to?"

I patted his head and stood up. "I have to go improvise now."

"Wait," he said, half sitting. He eased back down. "Damn, I'm dizzy."

"Bye," I said. I started toward the bloody action.

I won't reset. I won't reset. I smell his blood, but I won't reset.

"I'm an alchemist," I said. "I am an alchemist and that hasn't changed. Okay? Okay."

Her souls. Souls. Souls plural. Enhance his life-force. Make him immortal. Without a Philosopher's Stone. What the heck kind of twisted up alchemist was I?

"I'm an alchemist," I said. Bob was agile for such a creepy middle aged guy. He leapt over the bumps and turns Maes made in the ground like he was running down an incline. Maes looked like he was getting good at running backward, because Bob kept advancing and his blade only managed to slash the backs of Maes's guarding arms a couple times. Of course, that didn't change the fact that Maes was always the one running backward.

Remember some circles. Come on, Nina. Which matrix was your favourite? Did you have a specialized alchemy? No tattoos on your hands. Where the heck are your gloves, then? Don't tell me you're still stuck in the 'sidewalk chalk' phase. Oh, jeez. What the heck kind of alchemist am I?

"I told you to run!" Maes said, panting. Bob had his hungry eyes on me as I neared the scene.

I grinned at Maes. "You kind of never actually specified which direction I was supposed to run in. So, I made a loop."

Maes rolled his eyes. "Dammit, Nina!"

"Well, this is nice," said Bob. "Who knew her idiocy would come in such handy?"

Maes pushed my head down and I caught the smudged circle on the back of his hand as he pressed his palm against the earth and transmuted a wall up in front of us. The tip of Bob's sword glinted through the rock and sliced clean through like he was cutting through air. Maes yanked me back a couple paces as the wall came down toward us. "Go back, Nina!" he shouted.

"What kind of alchemy did I specialize in?" I said.

"Don't think about it," said Maes, swinging me by my wrist to stand behind him.

"Why not?" said Bob, advancing over the transmuted rubble. He stuck his sword out within feet of us and Maes backed up against me. He felt cold, the warmth of blood draining from him steadily. How long could he stay awake? How was he still standing? I peered around Maes's shoulder and Bob smiled at me with his yellow teeth. Bob spoke to me, "You want to know, don't you?"

"I want Maes to tell me, you jerk," I said.

"It was souls," said Bob, stepping forward. He put out his sword straight at Maes's blood-smeared chest. "You manipulate souls, Nina."

"Nina, run," said Maes. His body was trembling. "Go, now."

"My head hurts," I said.

Bob smiled at that. "That's because of your life-force. It's all tangled up because your souls are clashing inside of you. The only way to make it stop is to spend them."

Maes clenched his fists. "Yao!"

"You already made Lan Fan immortal, remember?" said Bob. "Do the same to me, and all this suffering will stop."

Maes stopped backing up, his knees shaking from exhaustion. He stood his ground even when Bob's blade was pressed against his chest enough to break the skin. Maes stayed where he was, frail beneath his stubbornness. "That's enough, Yao," he said icily. "It's over. I don't know how many souls Nina has left, but I guarantee it's not enough to give you immortality. Now stop screwing with her head!"

Thirty went in. One came out.

I let out a short scream, clutching my hair in bunches at the sides of my head. Where were they? I had this sudden feeling that I'd lost a lot of people. I got the feeling that I was alone and there was nothing I could do about it.

"You remember, don't you?" said Bob triumphantly.

I gritted my teeth against the headache. I felt my eyes glare to the point of agony. I grabbed Maes shoulders and yanked him down with enough force to bring him to his hands and knees and I knew he wouldn't bring himself up again. I stared forward at Bob and all I could see was a faceless bastard in a white lab coat looking through an observation window, scribbling on his clipboard as we screamed in terror and begged for water. I felt my heart jar against the inside of my chest.

"You…" I bit my lip until I tasted blood. "You son of a bitch." Bob's eyes widened slightly as I staggered over Maes and stumbled up against the tip of his blade. "I'll be damned if you take another one away from me!"

"Nina…" Bob started, attempting ferocity.

_I think I might've figured out a way to kind of stunt life-forces, you know? Like, sort of block people's flow for a while so they get sleepy and can't do anything._

"Nina," said Maes faintly, grabbing my ankle with a grip weak enough to tell me he'd lost too much blood to stop me.

I stepped out of his grip, the sword splitting though my dress and stabbing against my skin.

"Not another move!" said Bob, grasping for control. "Give me immortality and I may spare him…"

_May_ spare him?

_Hey, Uncle Roy, I figure I'll kidnap your daughter sometime. I've decided I'm going to steal her one of these days. You know, when it's convenient for everyone. I thought I'd keep you posted so you'll know who did it when the time comes._

"Please," said Maes with tears in his voice. "Yao, don't hurt her."

I could smell it on the sword. Maes's blood on this sword. My skull pulsed like a meat hammer.

Maes grabbed my leg stronger this time. "Nina, no, just leave me!"

I lurched against the tip of Bob's sword until I could feel the agony of it penetrating into my stomach. I watched Bob pale in sudden powerlessness. I heard Maes's voice speak in a tragic yell, felt his hand slip from my leg as I forced myself three strides forward. I felt myself scream as the blade ripped through my back, slid through my flesh and ground against my spine. I heard my voice sob heavily as the excruciating pain overcame the first moments of numb shock. My paling arm stretched toward Bob's horrified face and gripped him at his jaw. "You want souls?" I said shakily. I gasped on a choked breath as blood poured from my stomach. "Twenty-one," I said, tightening my fingers on Bob's rough jaw. "Go."

…

The tall wisps of soft grass brushed against my body as I waded through the endless field. My hair felt light on my near-bare shoulders. The thin lace straps allowed the gentle breeze to touch my skin and blow my hair from my neck in a tickly way. The sky was warm and blue, but the clouds that dotted it in pleasant tufts were bright white. I didn't seem to mind. My sundress was white too, stark white without a stain on it. It was beautiful.

"Crisp and fresh," I said, spinning on my bare toes to make the skirt twirl.

I could hear water running somewhere. It sounded splashy and clean, the kind of place you'd put your feet in and just swim all day. Where was I?

"Twenty-one!" yelled a voice. A deep voice. "Twenty-one, is that you?"

I turned around to see a young man around my age bounding through the grass. He was wearing white too, but his had a few grass stains here and there. He ran toward me and barely managed to stop short in time to hug me without ploughing over me. He squeezed me so tight it almost hurt.

I laughed. "What the hell!" I squeezed him back. "Eighteen! You freaking grew!"

"So did you," he said, stepping back to get a better look. "Always were a cutie."

I stuck my fist on my hip. "Hey, I've got a boyfriend, mister."

"Yeah," he said, smiling softly. "I know."

I sucked my lip. Of course Eighteen knew. "You gave him lungs."

He shrugged. "I helped."

"Hey, where are we? Doesn't look like the mountains anymore. Where are the others?" I nudged his arms. "How'd I bring you back to life?"

Eighteen's smile faded. "Back to life, Twenty-one?"

It took me a moment, but when it hit me it was like someone had kicked me behind the knees. I wobbled. Eighteen took my arm and helped me catch myself. I put my hand over my eyes. "I was so confused. I didn't even give it a second thought." I took my hand away and met Eighteen's sad gaze. "I'm dead, right?"

He nodded.

I nodded.

"Okay," I said. "Well, that sucks." Not exactly the most graceful way of putting it, but my voice was close to breaking.

"It's alright, Twenty-one." Another deep voice. He came to my side to rest his hand on my shoulder. He smiled. "You still have us."

I peered at him. "Ten?"

"No, Eleven!" he said, pushing my shoulder playfully. "Come on, Twenty-one. All these years and you're still getting me mixed up with my brother?"

"That's just sad," said Ten, coming up at my other side.

"Yeah, you're ones to talk," said Eighteen. He raised his eyebrows. "You weren't even certain it was her until I came out to talk to her first."

The boys blushed. I folded my arms. "Oh, really? What total dweebs. Is that why everyone's hiding? You don't recognize me? Jeez, guys. You've been living inside me for nineteen years straight and you don't even know what I look like."

"We're different," said a sweet voice. I turned. Twenty-five met my eyes with her long lashes. Dang. She'd turned out pretty. "We look different here. We all do, see?" She lifted her milky arm, revealing the spot where one of the custodians had shoved her into a broken beaker while he was drunk on the job. At one time, there had been a lumpy scar there where the skin had puckered around shards that were too much of a hassle for the researchers to remove. Now the area was perfect, smooth, and soft like the rest of her. It was like she'd never been hurt.

I blinked. My gaze shot down to my legs. Holy crap! Gorgeous! Smooth, porcelain skin, not a mark on it. I'd never realized how nice my legs were without the scars. And my arms; No scars there, either! I couldn't check my stomach. There were dudes around. But… "Holy crap! We're beautiful!" I looked up, turned my gaze in every direction, and saw they had all crowded around me, all twenty nine of them. I didn't have to count. I'd seen their smiles all together at once before. I smiled with them. "We were always beautiful, am I right?"

"Just a little bonked around," said Thirteen. "That's what you used to call it."

I saw them, every one of them in the grass, and saw what they'd done for me. From the ones who'd helped Maes survive when his body continuously failed him, to the ones who'd held out for Uncle Ed when he needed it the most. The ones who'd come to Lan Fan's rescue at the drop of a hat. The ones who'd helped me learn the difference between the life-force joined with a Philosopher's Stone like Ling's, and two life-forces flowing as one like Aunt Mei's with her baby. And then those brave souls who'd stepped forward that first time, that first life-force transmutation when I was three years old and I'd healed my mother without a clue of what I was doing.

"And me," I said. My eyes were warm with totally embarrassing tears. "I stunted Yao's life-force just like Nine told me."

"Hey, don't go pinning this on me," said Nine, stepping forward. She shoved through the crowd and stood in front of me, her hip cocked in that sassy way that made me laugh. "Confused or not, you pulled it off, right?" She raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged easily. My left shoulder didn't hurt at all anymore.

"Come on, Nina," she said. Weird hearing my out-of-the-lab name coming out of her. "Maybe I sparked some of the ideas," Nine said, "but in the end, they came from you. The Truth only gives you access to information. You were the one with the snap to put the pieces together." She smirked. "So, tell me honestly. Did you pull it off, Nina?"

"How would I know?" I pouted. "I died before I got to find out."

Nine rocked on her feet. "You sure?"

"Sure I'm sure!" I sucked my lip. She'd always been one to mess with me. I looked up at the warm sky, listened to the water in the distance, felt no pain. "I'm in heaven."

"Correction," said Eighteen. He was looking past me. "Twenty-one, you're not in heaven. Your life-force is."

I rolled my eyes. "Same with you guys…" I trailed off, noticing a foreign warmth to my hand that hadn't been there from the beginning. I couldn't really remember when it had started, but I could feel it, like someone had taken my hand at some point and it had been warming mine up. I looked behind me to where Eighteen's eyes were rested. My heart skipped.

"Nina…?" said Maes. "What's going on?" He looked around. "What were we just doing?"

Was he…dead? No. Why would Maes be there? His life-force had nothing to do with me and my friends. This was our life-force's place. And, jeez! He was still blatantly topless and covered in blood, dirt, and scars. No white or perfection in sight.

I looked down at our clasped hands, felt the warmth, something almost unbearable to separate from. I watched it, our connection. I breathed with the breeze rippling through the tall grass, felt the constant pulse coming through the earth and billowing in the wind against me, making my dress whip against my legs. I squeezed Maes's hand, felt the panging energy in our grasp. I felt his strong breaths like my lungs were the ones breathing them. Our hearts were synchronized to the same song. I could feel his life-force. I could feel it coursing through me. My life's energy was a perfect match with his life's energy because…

I laced our fingers. "I'm sharing your life-force, Maes."

Nine laughed and some of the others did too. Flipping immature.

Maes knit his brow. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "They're laughing because it's like Aunt Mei's life-force when she was pregnant." I smiled. "Right now, we have the same life-force."

Maes's eyes widened. "What?"

I looked back at my friends. They looked back at me knowingly. I met Nine's eyes, speaking to all of them. "This is the first good dream I've ever had. Thanks, you guys."

"See you later," said Nine with a grin. They waved their goodbyes.

I turned to Maes's hazy gaze. He looked around. "I don't know what the heck is going on. Who are all these people? Your graduating class?"

I chuckled. "Something like that." I stepped forward, clasping his hand with both hands. I met his gold eyes. "Time to wake me up, Maes." I leaned my forehead against his scarred chest. "I'm ready when you are."

It took a moment, but Maes's hand tightened with mine. I closed my eyes and prepared to let go.

…

Ling's voice echoed in my clouded ears. "Use my Philosopher's Stone!"

"There's no life-force to use it on," said Uncle Ed weakly, a tremble to his voice.

"We could retrieve it from Yao," said Ling.

"Nina was the only one who could perform that kind of a…" Uncle Ed's voice faded into other voices around me.

"I'll kill him!" Dad shouted from further away. "I swear to God, I'll—"

"Sir, please," said Lan Fan's younger voice. "We have no choice, Mustang. We need him alive…"

Mom's weeping overlapped Dad's yells. "…but you can't give up," Mom said with breaks in her voice. I could feel her soft fingers on my cool cheek.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," said a deep voice with an accent. "It's been too long to resuscitate…" The voice faded in my ears.

Maes's voice came out slurred. "No, she's there. I feel her."

"Sir," a woman squeaked. "Sir, you're bleeding!"

"Just…" Maes squeezed my hand. "Just give her a minute. She'll be back any minute…"

I got this pain, this kind of empty, stagnant pain in my insides like trying to pull apart welded material after it's been fused. Everything in me was stiff and unmoving and I realized it wouldn't be pleasant giving up all the strength it would take to set it back into motion.

I started with forcing the muscles in my hand. I put effort into them until they squeezed, squeezed hard, clutched harder to Maes, palm to palm, cramping up my arm. The movement had rippled through me like a current within moments. It shot like electricity through my muscles, burning like acid in the fibres. My heart contracted and relaxed like a violently squeezed squeaky toy, forcing the blood to rush tangibly through my vessels, throbbing at ever fingertip. The top of my scalp prickled into feeling and I felt immediate painful sweat bead from my body. My body forced a tight exhale and my lungs strained on a gasp. I felt my facial features twist into a grimace at the ripping pain in my stomach. I could feel the old blood, stagnant over my body.

I opened my eyes.

Their voices were everywhere and their faces flashed around so fast, they were like colourful blurs. All over it was, "Roy, come quick!" and, "Not possible!" Frantic crying, laughter, and garbled speech.

Amongst the chaos and the pain, my eyes managed to rest on my hand, still joined with his. My face tried for a smile. "It's okay," I said weakly, unable to hear myself above the noise. "I'm here."

"I know," Maes said. "I just like holding it."

…

"I'm sorry, Nina, but Elysia and I are going steady now." That was the first thing Selim Bradley said to me when I got back to Central. I couldn't have been more proud of those hopeless losers for finding each other without my help.

Central was Central, and nothing much ever changed around there. I'd grown up in that harsh reality, and even a brief stint with Olivier Armstrong as the temporary Fuhrer didn't make Central any less like Central. Everything was the same as it had been when I'd left.

I wasn't the same, though.

I had to spend five weeks in the Chang district's general hospital before I was good to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Dublith for another month. That damn sword of Bob's had done a number on my spine when I'd gone and impaled myself with it. Alchehestry had stopped the bleeding, but I went over a month limp in a bed, another glued to a wheel chair, and then a few weeks walking like a granny on a walker before I graduated to a cane just in time for my twenty second birthday. Ain't life a bitch?

Although, with all those months of being stuck in a hospital with nothing to do, Maes and I had plenty of time to brush up on some alchemy junk together before taking the State Alchemist exam.

We decided we'd tell our families we wanted to join the military all in the same room, mostly because it sounded like a great way to mess with Uncle Ed. When Maes was done explaining, Uncle Ed just looked at my Dad and said, "You bastard."

Needless to say, when I lost the Truth from my life-force and rid myself of the insanity, I also drained my uncanny knowledge of alchemy junk, as well as my ability to transmute without a drawn matrix. That was all my flashy stuff. Mom said fire alchemy would get me certified without a hitch whether I was adept at it or not, but I didn't care to broadcast my ability at roasting people alive. Or the fact that I'd used it for those purposes in states of insanity.

However, flashy junk wasn't exactly my claim to fame. Maes and I observed that my final flashy transmutation in which I'd shared his life-force had been done after I'd given up the Truth, done without its help. More important, I hadn't used up any soul energy. I'd honed the ability to manipulate life-forces without spending life-forces, and I didn't need the Gate to help me do it. We decided Amestris might consider that worth looking into and I decided Maes would make an adequate research partner. Plus, Maes was kind of a badass alchemist in general. Dad said he'd ask the Fuhrer to put in a good word for us.

I spent a while in heavy duty therapy. Actually, we kind of all did, even Uncle Ed. I just spent the longest. Well, who didn't see that coming? Dad told me to think of it as preparation for the military psych evaluation.

Most of my lingering issues were along the lines of PTSD, it turned out. All the freakish psychotic junk cleared up when I was free of the thirty souls-worth of Truth. I stopped having the nightmares and I stopped waking up on fire, something I'd been doing for as long as I could remember. Mom said it was weird not having to buy the band-aids anymore. PTSD aside, I was glad just to be rid of all that Portal crap.

Uncle Al's family came to visit the hospital as soon as I was strong enough to handle the girls inevitably bouncing on the bed for Nina-hugs. I got to hold baby Lan Fan with Maes's help while she was still new and I got to hold her a month later when my arms had gained the strength to cradle her solo. Aunt Winry, in display of her undying gratitude for me saving her husband and son, baked me corn dishes my entire stay in Xing, because she figured I'd get sick of hospital food. I snuck the corn crap to Maes and risked the hospital food. Sophie snuck me Aunt Mei's cooking as soon as my stomach could take it.

Grandma Izumi hung around the 'Dublith Spine and Amputee Rehabilitation Center' more than she stayed at her and Sig's shop while I was staying. She said it was because Maes was always there with me, but Sig told me she cried herself to sleep when she found out what had happened to me. What a freaking drama queen. I'd make a full recovery. Spine injuries just took way long to recover from.

I visited Daddy at his Command Center about a week after I got settled back into my old room at home, over seven months since I'd left. Alex Armstrong saw me in the hall with the cane and offered to carry me down the halls like he used to when I was a kid. It was the best freaking thing ever. I told him he needed to do it with Maes as soon as he came. Armstrong looked like he was taking me seriously when he agreed. I really hoped so.

…

September

"Damn it!" I grabbed my watch off my desk and shoved it in my tacky blue pocket. "Mike, where the hell's my boyfriend?"

Of all days to dodge paperwork, Maes had to pick today. The guy could read and write at the speed of a bullet. What was the problem?

Sargent Michael Havoc. I could smell that kid a mile away. Smelled just like his daddy, the nasty. Way too young to be smoking as much as he did. He peered in. "Major?"

"My boyfriend," I said. "I'm throwing him a party at my apartment and he's my flipping ride!"

Mike blinked. Weirdo didn't know how to talk like a human being. I rolled my eyes. "Sargent Havoc, have you seen Major Elric around the Command Center within the last hour?"

"No, ma'am," he said.

I sighed. Yep. He'd ditched me. I just knew it. Going to the bathroom my ass. I wagged my hand. "Dismissed, Mikey. Tell your parents the party's at seven, you got me?"

He flushed. "Yes, ma'am."

Seriously, I'd known the better half of the people working in this building since I was three. I hadn't realized how formal things were going to get when I'd signed up for all this military junk.

I sucked my lip, straightening my chair against my desk. It had been eight months, but trekking home could still put me back on the cane for the next few weeks if I overdid it, and with it raining outside… I hated the young veteran look. Such a freaking cliché. I grabbed my uniform jacket over my shoulder and locked up the office. Had to get a ride before all the people I knew with cars went home for the day.

"Major Mustang," said that geezer Knox as he came up behind me. Dang, he was so shrivelled. It sucked that I was still slow enough on my feet that he could keep up with me. "How's your research going?" Always prodding. We were on the same floor, so he had easy access to breathing down my neck. The man needed to retire, dammit.

"Holy dang," I said. "I got my certification less than three months ago. Would you maybe give me a year? Wait for the presentation like everyone else?"

A smile curled into the wrinkles on his face. "You're too much like your father."

I slipped my arms into my jacket. "How do you know he's not too much like me?" I smirked. "Hey, you still drive, or did they take away your license when you turned two hundred fifty?"

"My car's out back, kid," he said. "What's it to you?"

Oh, he was going to make me ask? I sucked my lip. "My ride flaked. Totally ditched. Probably got caught up healing a scraped knee and lost track of time."

Knox laughed like sandpaper. "Isn't he supposed to be the one with the birthday?"

I huffed. "No, duh."

"So, you need a ride?" said Knox.

"Yeah," I said.

He pushed up his thick framed glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I don't see how that affects me in the slightest."

I groaned. I was seriously considering uninviting him to the party. He was just playing dirty, now. "Okay." I sighed. "I'll tell you about getting past the laws of equivalent exchange in the car if you fill me in on your research about scar tissue on the way there."

Knox scratched his neck. "No deal. I want to hear your results. As far as you know, I haven't come up with anything significant yet."

"You crotchety son of a bitch! When the hell are you going to retire?" My voice was too loud. Me and Knox ignored the stares like we always. "Fine," I grumbled. "What do you want to know?"

"What's that 'Exchange' theory Maes has been so hush-hush about?" Oh, the sly dog.

"You know darn well what it is," I said. He wasn't looking for theories. He was looking for methods. I needed that ride. I could ask Daddy to fire Knox at the party. "So, we've talked about getting Uncle Fullmetal to help us out since he's a former alchemist who gave up his door in an exchange. I'm working on finding a way to plug him into the concept of 'channelling' life's flow versus the orthodox science of 'trading' it. Maes believes that if Uncle Ed can narrow his thinking down to the 'exchange' part of equivalent exchange, we may be able to restore his ability to—"

"Major Gorgeous!" Maes called breathlessly from down the hall. I looked up. He was sprinting to meet me where I stood.

I stuck my fist on my hip, going stationary. "Well, if it isn't the Wielding Alchemist come to grace me with his almost an hour late presence."

Maes was panting and dripping with mostly rain and maybe some sweat. He was trying to look sorry, but I could see the smile as he breathed, breathed strong. He loved the rain. He'd probably spent the past hour running around in it like a kid.

"Jeez, Maes. I almost had to hitch a ride with Knox." I pouted. "Where were you?"

Maes straightened, nodding at Knox politely as the old fart continued grouchily to the parking lot. Maes smiled at me, getting my cheek wet with his dripping uniform sleeve as he reached to toy with my hair. "Sorry, Nina. Had some obligations."

I raised an eyebrow. Here we go again. "Obligations, huh?"

Maes nodded. "Big fat obligations."

I sighed, walking into a cold, wet hug. I leaned my cheek on his soggy chest. "Whatever. You'll have a stack of overdue big fat obligations waiting on your desk tomorrow morning. That's all I can say."

He swung his arm around my shoulders as we walked. People around the Command Center always seemed to look at us more than usual when we were together. Between the two of us, me and Maes had plenty of shady things for the mousy secretaries to gossip about. I didn't give a darn. We were a dang cute pair and we'd made a name for ourselves as far as the research department went within three months of being certified.

"Need me to carry you?" Maes asked as we neared the exit.

"Nope," I said, stepping into the rain. "I'm good on my feet. Just didn't want to walk five miles to my apartment, you know?"

Maes came out into the rain with me. "I wouldn't let you do that. Just took me a little longer than I'd planned."

We linked hands as we stepped down the steep stone stairs, slick under our boots. The rain wasn't too heavy, but it was heavy enough to get my hair wet pretty quick. I squeezed his hand. "Happy nineteenth."

Maes chuckled. "So insignificant. Not a milestone at all."

"But you weren't sure you'd make it this far." I batted the rain from my lashes. "When you turned eighteen, you didn't know if you'd get to turn nineteen. I'll bet it's a milestone for Aunt Winry."

We got to the sidewalk. Maes nodded. "She'll probably cry when we sing like she does every year."

I bumped him with my hip. "You need to turn twenty so I'm not dating a teenager anymore. I feel like such a freaking cougar when people find out I'm three years older."

Maes blinked. "I'm sorry?"

I sighed. "It's okay. Some of my friends were married when they were nineteen."

Maes laced his fingers with mine. "My parents were twenty one when I was born."

"Yeah," I said, swinging his arm. "See, people shouldn't judge. Three years only looks weird on paper, you know?"

"Yep," said Maes.

"Heck, between the malnutrition and genetics, I'll bet I look like I'm the younger one to a lot of people." I laughed. "And I probably act like it half the time, too."

Maes smiled smugly. "Aw, don't beat yourself up, Nina. I attribute your uneducated sailor dialect to poor upbringing."

I frowned. "Okay, what does my sloppy vocabulary have to do with anything? I told you, Maes. I'm not going to edit through the slang just for you. Deal with it."

Maes laughed. He knew he could get me with that every time. We approached his car, the black beater that used to be beautiful until Maes taught me to Parallel Park with it. I walked around to my side and waited for Maes to open my door for me. He looked at me over from his door for a moment, his face straight, side-tracked. I was going to ask, but then he gave me a short smile and walked around to get my door like I'd expected.

Maes started the car with the heat going; not a particularly cold day, but our soaked clothes could get us shivering if we weren't careful. I stripped my jacket off and he tossed the dripping thing with his in the cluttered back. He drove out of the lot silently, looking ahead like he actually had to concentrate on the road to drive like a master. I bent over and wrung out my hair onto the car floor. I came back up and caught Maes smiling at the windshield wipers. "Your hair's great wet, no matter how many times I see it." He laughed in a distant way that was almost to himself. "Even when you were still walking like an old lady, I couldn't get over how gracefully shaky your steps were. Like a plump baby learning to walk on thin legs."

I felt a flush, mostly just a little caught off guard. He was usually less excessive with the flattery these days. "Thanks," I said. "I try."

"No, you don't," he said. He smiled through a sigh, sitting back at the wheel. "It wouldn't be the same if you tried."

He watched the road. Dang, he was really being careful. Like, he usually couldn't keep his mouth shut on the drive home. It was always, "How was your day? Mine was great! This and that happened, but that was dumb for me to say because you were there the whole time. I'm going to spend the ride home regurgitating it with you anyway, okay? Okay." But, now he was just…driving. Checking his mirrors, all three of them. Looking before he touched a turn signal instead of going by what was in his peripheral. None of that vibrating the pupils back and forth so he could navigate the roads and maintain eye-contact with me at the same time. Watching the road? He was driving like a normal person.

"Maes?" I said. "Something wrong?"

"Hm?" He seemed dazed, like I'd snapped him out of thought.

"You nervous about the party or whatever?" I said, watching for my complex. "I mean, I'm not into crowds at all. The only reason I invited Uncle Al's family and the Curtises was because you seem to thrive on excess. It's a big apartment, but it's guaranteed to get stuffy with all the smokers coming. If you want to ditch…"

Maes turned in to the lot and pulled up into a visitor space. He turned off the engine, making the car go suddenly still. I stared at him. He was looking forward through the rain-splattered windshield, his brow furrowed, his mouth a tight line. "Sorry," he said. "Just trying to figure something out."

I shifted in my seat. "Yeah?"

He nodded. He looked at me. "I figure I'll ask you to marry me sometime. I've decided I'm going to be your husband one of these days. You know, when it's convenient for everyone. I thought I'd keep you posted so you'll be prepared when the time comes."

A shiver went through me. "Okay." My face burned. What the hell was I supposed to say to that?

I hadn't seen Maes act awkward too many times. Maybe never. When he had to undo his seatbelt to get his hand in his pocket, that was awkward. He slipped the cutesy little box out of his pocket and played with it in his hand for a moment. Pretty black velvety thing. He handed it out to me. I put out an embarrassingly shaky hand and he dropped the box into it before I could grab it myself. I gulped, holding the soft box on my lap. Okay, what now?

"I want you to be in charge of keeping track of it," said Maes. "I'll probably just lose it and I need it for later."

"For when it's convenient?" I said.

Maes nodded.

"What is it?" I said, playing dumb and obvious.

Maes laughed. "Big fat obligations."

I sucked my lip. "So…" I looked from the box back to Maes. "Am I allowed to open said big fat obligations?"

Maes paused. "If you really want to."

I kept the box in my lap because the shaking in my hands would've been obvious if I'd held them up. I flipped the box open and peered at the thin gold ring, my eyes drawn to the glinting diamond encircled with tiny flecks of ruby. I blinked. I blinked again.

"I know you said you were over white," said Maes, "but I figured it was better to be safe. I think the shine on silver can look white sometimes, so I went for gold. Diamonds reflect light, so they cast white shimmers everywhere. I figured if I got the diamond with those little red gems all around, it might offset the white and it could glow red like a transmutation or life-forces. Take your pick."

I closed the box. "I figure…" I gripped the box tighter and met Maes's gold eyes. "I figure…I'll say yes sometime. When it's convenient, I mean."

Maes straightened in his seat. "Yeah?"

I stared down at the box resting in my hands. "Yeah, I decided that a while ago. Just waiting for you to catch up. I'll keep track of the ring. You let me know when things are convenient."

I looked up. Maes nodded. "Good deal." He grabbed the latch on his door and stepped out into the rain. I sat in frozen silence as he slammed the door shut and walked around the car.

That was it? Seriously? My cheeks burned.

Maes appeared at my window. The door opened and he stood there in the rain with his hand out. Jerk. I gave him my hand for him to escort me out like the freaking gentleman he was. But he wouldn't take it. He shook his head, his face straight. He gave my hand back to me. "No, Nina. I want the box. It's convenient."

I drew in a breath. I sucked my lip and held the box out to him. My hand placed it in his hand and I watched, mystified, as the raindrops rolled right off the velvet fibers the moment they hit. Maes flipped open the box to the special, anti-white ring and showed it off to me. He leaned his knee into the soaked gravely parking lot, kneeling proposal-stance at my open car door. He gave me a crooked smile.

"Nina Mustang, will you marry me?"

I was kind of tempted to say no just to screw with him. My mouth got the better of me though, and all the sudden I was spurting, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes. Dammit, Maes!" I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. He hugged me and I felt him laughing.

I shoved him. "Jeez, what took you so long?"

He shrugged. "I thought it over. My birthday. Our engagement anniversary. One day, one cake. Saves my mom some work." He was fighting a smile.

I cracked up. "Big liar."

My giggle died gently as I watched him pull out the ring and slip it over my finger. Felt slippery from the rain dripping down it and dripping down my hand, but I could get it fitted later if I needed. Or I could transmute it myself…

"I love you," said Maes.

I looked down at the sparkly little anti-white ring resting at my knuckle and fiddled with it on my finger. I stood from the car and bumped the door shut behind me. I looked up at Maes, the freaking lightning rod. "I love you, too," I said.

I rose to my tiptoes and Maes leaned in for another kiss. He stopped short, placing a cautionary hand on my waist. I stared up at him all confused as he stood straight, his face forming a restrained smile as he looked past me. I looked over my shoulder.

"Dear God," Dad said in an agonized moan.

"Shut up, Roy!" Mom said, hitting his arm with Maes's gift-wrapped present. "Look, now they know we're here."

"That's a bad thing?" Dad said, eyes pinpointed on Maes like the scope on a gun.

I tapped Maes's hand, my ring sparkling on my finger. "Don't worry. He's useless in the rain."

Maes sighed. "I warned you, Uncle Roy." He swung his arm around my middle and smirked devilishly. "Told you I'd steal her when it was convenient."

...

The End :D


	100. Chapter 100: Parenthood Special

Author's Note: I feel like crud at how late I'm getting this posted since I announced a specific date and all. I got sick again just in time for the start of fall semester :D No, that's not something to grin about. So, that's what I've been up to. **Sorry**.

Enough with apologies! This my hundredth chapter! (See author's gratitude gush a few chapters back) So, onto business...

On my profile you can find links to my **fanart** and fanart from others, as well as a link to the** trailer** I've finally put together. Please take a look. We worked hard :) (Trailer implies a series of fanart and pics portraying readers' individual takes on characters. Plus some inside jokes for the fic. There's a moment at the beginning with a simple animation of Nina dancing all cute. You gotta see it.)

**Thanks for being awesome, readers! Hope this story has been corntastic for you ;D**

* * *

Chapter 100: Parenthood Special

Mom took her eyes off the screaming naked baby on my chest and looked at me like I'd just told her I was pregnant all over again. "Jim? Why 'Jim'?"

I shrugged breathlessly and patted my slimy new son on the back. "Don't know. Guess it's just cute, am I right?" I turned to Maes as he hovered excitedly over our little squirmlette.

"Look, look!" he said, bending closer to our baby's face. "Nina, check it out. He has my cheekbones!"

I gave Maes a stern glower. "We ever want another kid, you can have it yourself."

Maes agreed.

…

"You're doing it wrong, Mustang," said Uncle Ed. "You have to tilt it or he'll swallow bubbles."

I spied through the crack in my in-laws' living room door as Uncle Ed bumped my dad's grip on the bottle to reposition it in Jimmy's mouth. My baby made one of his unattractive, fussy faces then went back to sucking. Dad glared, cradling Jim's curled up body possessively. "We've established you're the baby expert, Fullmetal. Think I could have my grandson to myself for three minutes?"

Uncle Ed backed off, chuckling. "Whatever you say, Grump-pa."

Dad rolled his eyes. "Would you quit with that?"

Uncle Ed tapped his chin, leaning back leisurely on the couch. "Hm, would you prefer 'Grandfather Sparky'?" Dad grimaced. Uncle Ed grinned. "How about 'The Papster'?"

Uncle Ed had already titled himself, 'Chief,' a week ago like he was declaring himself leader of the four grandparents. Aunt Winry had claimed 'Granny' the moment she'd found out I was pregnant. Mom was still deciding between 'Nana' and Maes's suggestion of 'Grandma Sharpshooter.'

Jim squirmed in small movements as Uncle Ed reached over and toyed with his tiny bundled up feet. Dad fought to keep Jim's attention on his poorly executed bottle-feeding and, more importantly, off of Uncle Ed. Jeez. Jimmy was six days old and they were already fighting for grandpa dominance. I hugged my fluffy night robe around my shoulders and chuckled to myself.

"What are you doing?" Maes said from behind. His voice was in that bossy tone he'd been giving me lately.

I peered over my shoulder at him as he neared enough to hold me from behind. I sighed, leaning back against him. "I swear. If you guys make me stay in that bed for five more minutes, I'm going to start getting bedsores."

"You heard the doctor," said Maes, supporting most of my weight without me asking. "It's only been six days. Take it easy, Mrs. Elric. Give your body a chance to catch up to you."

Yep, always had trouble arguing with that logic. James had graced me with a full term birth-weight of eight pounds and seven ounces, what Maes proudly called 'substantial.' With my naturally petite build and medical history of spinal injury, he'd definitely felt 'substantial' on the way out.

"I'm so freaking tired of bed rest," I said. I tilted my head back to look up at Maes. "Like, it's not even funny."

Maes let out a frustrated breath. He looked at the crack in the door where I'd been spying on our dads. "Want to join them?"

I shook my head. "I'm Jimmy's favorite. He'll hear my voice and shriek like an alarm until I grab him. Let the grandpas have their fun." If I got ahold of my son, there was no telling how hard it would be to let go later.

Maes's body tensed against mine every other moment like he was preparing to catch me if my knees gave out. "Want to go see what Mom's up to in the kitchen?"

I'd spent a lot of time in Aunt Winry's kitchen through my maternity leave so far. Carrying Maes's baby had made me crave corn like none other practically the entire pregnancy. I really should've seen it coming. Aunt Winry sympathized that it had been the same way for her when she was carrying Maes. Her expert corn cooking had quickly become my vice. Tragically, Jim's birth hadn't put an end to the cravings just yet.

I leaned a little heavier on Maes. Had to admit, I felt sorer the longer I stood. "Hey, when are Grandma and Sig going to be here? I thought their train was supposed to pull in at noon."

"Nina, it's barely nine o'clock," Maes said with an amused smile.

"Shut up," I grumbled. "You're not the one stuck on the weird nursing schedule. Gets disorienting after the first couple nights." I leaned back some more and Maes took the cue to swing my legs up and lift me into his arms. I saved face with a dagger-eyed glare, feigning disapproval like I hadn't meant for him to help me out.

"Aw, quit pouting," Maes said, carrying me down the hall back to our dungeon of a room. "You know you like it up here."

"You try putting me back in that bed," I said coldly, "and I'll stunt your life-force so you don't come to until after dinner."

"Hey now," said Maes, pushing the door open with his back. He carried me into his childhood bedroom. "Keep talking like that and I'll get nightmares."

He set me gently in the center of our bed, right on top of our rumpled covers. I snuggled into the blue pillows sulkily. "Betrayed by my own husband."

"You'll get over it," said Maes, scooting up on the bed next to me. He leaned his head partly on my pillow so I could feel his tickly hair on my ear. "I'm too cute to be mad at for long."

I chuckled softly. "Screw you."

Maes shifted his hand next to mine and brushed the back of my hand with his knuckles. Why were his hands always so flipping warm compared to mine? Was it some kind of blood circulation issue?

"Mom and I talked after you turned in last night," he said softly. "They're going to do it."

My eyes refocused. I rolled over to face him. "Are you serious? They're actually for real this time?"

Maes stared at the ceiling and nodded his head against his pillow. "Uncle Al got Sophie that internship in Xing she's been drooling over. With her taken care of over there, Mom and Dad have no reason to stick around Resembool. Mom said moving to Central was a small price to pay to live within walking distance from us."

I knit my brow. "But your dad hates Central."

Maes shook his head. "He's not wild about some of the memories it brings up."

"Yeah, because Central's so much worse than Resembool as far as sources of traumatic experiences go."

Maes laughed. "That's a very good point." He closed his eyes. "Mom says they'll be in Central looking at houses by next month."

I nudged Maes with my elbow. "Your Dad considering getting himself recertified with 'exchange' alchemy?"

Maes opened his eyes. "I wouldn't let him even if he wanted to."

…

Maes had a terrible singing voice. Like, we're talking dog-howling awful. Jim didn't seem to realize that, though. He'd shut up and fall asleep within minutes of Maes's singing. Either that or maybe the off-pitch lullabies just made him black out.

"Maes," I grumbled. "Would you shut up?"

Maes paused from his reverie, shifting Jim delicately in his arms. He sank to the edge of the bed and smiled at the baby. "But he likes it."

"Yeah, well, Mommy hates it." I buried my face into a pillow.

I felt Maes's hand reach to rest on the back of my head. "Dad's going to pick up Grandma and Sig at the station any minute." He fiddled with my hair all tickly. "You want to get a shower?"

I shook my head and rolled over to meet Maes's eyes. "Why bother? She doesn't give a damn how I look. Just wants to see Jim."

"Hey!" said Maes. "She wants to see me, too."

I had to give him that.

"Grandma loves you, Nina," said Maes. "You remind her of Dad."

Oh. Brilliant. I smiled dejectedly. "Izumi gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, 'tough love.'"

"Yeah, isn't she great?" He held Jim closer to his face and nuzzled him gently through the folds of the baby blanket. Jim wagged his little arms blindly, bumping his hand against Maes's nuzzling nose. Maes didn't seem to care that it had been an accident. He smiled at Jim like he'd just audibly said, 'I love you, Daddy.'

"Right back at you, little guy," Maes said.

I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at my boys. "You two get over here. You're leaving me out." And I hadn't held my baby in over an hour.

Maes cradled Jim in one arm and scooted right up beside me with his warm body. I put my arms out and Maes reluctantly surrendered Jim to me. We'd gotten used to hording what time we had with our baby. It seemed like every waking hour one of our parents insisted on 'giving us a break.' More like stealing our kid at any given chance. With Grandma Izumi coming in, there was no telling when me and Maes would have Jim to ourselves again. That scared me, to be honest.

I kissed the top of Jim's strawberry blonde head, smelling the sour milk on his breath from when he'd spat up all over Mom earlier. He'd been born a total baldy, but over the past few days we'd noticed feathery wisps of copper colored hair showing on his head. At first we'd all been just a little freaked at the prospect of me and Maes producing a redheaded baby. Mom decided it was probably some kind of gene I'd passed down from one of my biological parents. Made me scared to think about what other unknown traits I might have passed down to Jim. Maes got a real kick out of getting to wait and see as far as my genes were concerned. Jim had come out with blatantly golden eyes, and that was enough for Maes as far as his genetics were concerned.

Maes reached across me to take Jim's freely flailing hand. Just the tip of Maes's index finger was big enough to fill Jim's grip. Maes leaned his cheek on my head, moving Jim's arm up and down gently. "He doesn't want to let go," he said contentedly as he observed Jim's grasp following every wag of his finger.

I chuckled. "Newborns don't develop the ability to un-grab until they're older. You told me that, remember?"

Maes continued playing with Jim's hand. "You must've been hearing things."

I couldn't help but smile just a little. If Maes wasn't holding our son, he was fiddling with him. He'd had his hands all over my pregnant stomach before I was even showing. Of course, it probably didn't help that I'd been so openly excited when I'd sensed the new life-force inside of me. Made Maes determined to feel it too. I hadn't needed to depend on a missed period or a stupid home-test to tell Jim was there. I'd known from the moment it happened. Bolted right out of bed and said, "Maes, I'm a mom." He'd been so jealous, almost like he wanted to be the pregnant one. Typical Maes.

I held Jim closer, feeling his newborn body-heat seeping through the blanket. Aunt Winry had told me a while back that babies were born with a higher body temperature standard than children and adults. Some sort of weird survival mechanism or something, compensating for the incubated womb. Sounded a little unnecessary to me, but I got it. I actually felt a little bad for Jim. He'd never felt cold until the moment he'd come out.

"You okay, Nina?" said Maes, relinquishing Jim's hand.

I nodded, hugging Jim closer my collarbone. I hadn't said it yet, but I was pretty sure Maes was figuring it out as he watched me day by day. There were times I just needed to be with Jim's life-force, and I couldn't say why.

I laid back and rested Jim on my chest so his tiny breaths puffed warm against my neck. I unwound the fluffy blanket that seemed to be constantly around him and threw it to the end of the bed so I could feel Jim's little body huddled against me in a more tangible way. With every day that passed, I could feel Jim's life-force synchronizing less and less with mine.

"He's scared," I said softly. "Doesn't understand that I'm not part of him anymore."

Maes shifted to face me, making the covers rustle under him. "What?"

I closed my eyes, resting my hand on the back of Jim's head. "Holding him like this…it reminds me of gluing back a china doll. Every time you break it, the pieces go back together just a little rougher."

"What are you talking about?" said Maes.

I opened my eyes onto the ceiling. "Never mind."

Something had really struck me the first time I'd touched Jim's soul while he was inside me. He was incredibly easygoing, so much so that most people would never guess how extremely sensitive he was about where he put his trust. No one could possibly imagine the terror buried in my son's soul, his inborn nature to fear the unknown. I'd felt it in him from the beginning, his need for security. It would be putting it lightly to say that Jim had felt secure while surrounded by my life-force. When I told people I was his favorite, they couldn't imagine the magnitude of what I was saying.

…

Sitting in the kitchen eating lunch with Izumi and Sig was something I could have done without. Like, seriously. On average, Grandma and Sig were great. Izumi was badass and totally doting in her own twisted way. But by that point, I had really had enough of being told the baby was sleepy, to watch his head, to wipe him front to back when I changed his diaper. Dear God! I could've gotten all that from the back cover of a 'What to Expect' guide. Baby-care wasn't easy, but it wasn't rocket science. Just give me back my baby and leave him alone!

"Quit looking so miserable, Nina," said Maes, carrying me with Jim down the hallway toward the kitchen. The loud kitchen.

I patted Jim's back as Maes walked. Maes had been so eager to get me and Jim out of the bedroom to go see the great grandparents that he'd scooped us up before I'd even finished burping Jim. I wasn't allowed to get up and walk around of my own free will, but God forbid I try to take it slow when it was time to see Izumi and Sig.

"He's going to fuss," I said. "He just ate. He's tired. He's going to fuss."

"Grandma can take it," said Maes, coming up to the door.

"Yeah, but I'm not talking about her." I looked sternly at Maes. "Jim can be passed around when he wants to be passed around, get me?"

Maes raised his eyebrows. "He's a baby. He's going to cry whether he's passed around or not."

But at least he won't be uneasy if I keep him.

Maes entered the kitchen with all the old people hooked in a conversation. No one seemed to notice us come in as Dad went on with another 'such is the life of the Fuhrer' story.

"…I kid you not. This lady was adamant she could bring people's pet back to life," said Dad, barely able to speak between laughs.

"So, what are we talking?" said Uncle Ed. "Dogs, cats, guinea pigs? Al's youngest just buried her first goldfish. Think you might be able to hook her up?"

Izumi sat back in her seat and folded her arms. "It just goes to show what's become of this country since Roy became Fuhrer." She shook her head like Dad was a disgrace to nature. "The fact that a request like that could make it to your desk."

I frowned in Maes's arms. "I'd say that's an issue with the people, not their leader, Grandma. I feel bad for Dad having to sort through all the stupid."

Chairs screeched and silverware clinked against plates as the grown-ups turned to me and my boys. Aunt Winry was the first to speak. "Nina! Oh, sweetie, come sit down," she said, giving up her seat. Maes set me down. I fought a wince. Wooden chair. That wasn't sore at all.

"How've you been, Nina?" said Uncle Ed. "Haven't seen you all day."

Yeah, he hadn't seen me…

Izumi was in the chair across me, in perfect line of sight. Brilliant. She narrowed her eyes. "You're still in your robe and pajamas at this hour?"

I bit my lip to keep from telling her to bite me. Aunt Winry was the best mother in-law ever. Izumi made up for it tenfold as Grandma in-law from hell. She thrived on pointing out how not good enough for Maes I was. Maybe she secretly really liked me, but I could've used some of it out in the open every once in a while.

Maes pulled a couple empty chairs up for him and his mom. He patted Izumi's shoulder, scooting in on her right. "I told Nina you'd notice if she didn't shower."

My expression flattened. "Thanks, hon."

"Nina's been a little fragile this week..." began Mom.

Maes stood out of his chair. "Hey, Nina, you done burping him yet?"

I felt the warm weight of Jim's body in my arms, the way he felt when he was falling asleep. "Uh…no." It was a futile attempt. Maes knew when I was lying. Every freaking time. He put his arms out. I glanced at all the eyes watching me, probably all wondering what my issue was. I kissed Jim's head, saying, "Sorry, buddy," under my breath, then passed him on to Maes.

Maes sat down next to Izumi, leaning toward her at the edge of his chair to get Jim closer. "Grandma," he said, "this is James." Ugh. Full name.

Izumi leaned past Maes's shoulder to get better look into the bundle. Sig leaned over her to get a look and smiled real cute and subtle as Maes pulled away the blanket so Jim's face was showing. Izumi's eyes sparkled in that sweet way that I usually only saw her use with Maes. "Good. He takes after his father."

I shot her a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Thanks, Grandma," said Maes with a sugary grin. Twenty two years old and he was still such a grandma's boy.

Sig wrinkled his brow at the baby. "Is his hair orange?"

"We figure it's from Nina," said Dad. "Her biological parents must've had 'redhead' somewhere in their DNA."

Izumi looked up at me and narrowed her eyes.

I rolled my eyes. "Jim's not some other guy's kid."

Izumi's eyes got narrower. "I didn't say that."

I scoffed. "But you were about to."

I stopped at the familiar sound of Jim's 'Mom abandoned me' cry. He was still so new. His cries came out sounding more like a bleating baby goat than actual proper sobs and whimpers. Aunt Winry had said Jim wouldn't even start crying actual tears until he was older. The sound of Jim crying was enough to make me cringe, but seeing his little face turn ruddy and wrinkle up like a disgruntled pug was unbearable. I folded my arms over my chest as Jim took the inevitable deep breath and let out his 'Mommy, I'm scared' alarm.

"Let me take him," I said urgently.

Maes kind of blew me off as he explained to Izumi. "Nina just got through feeding him. He's cranky, that's all."

"Oh," Izumi said gently, touching Jim's red cheek. She cooed at the baby. "You tired, James?"

I watched in silence as they crooned over my crying baby, all of them, one by one, saying things that probably were sweet from the outside. It was all probably very sweet to them, being together as a family with the new baby.

"Let me take him," I said.

"Good thinking, Nina. Mom knows best," said Mom with a smile my way.

Uncle Ed met eyes with Izumi. "Don't you want to hold him first, Teacher?"

"Are you an idiot?" said Izumi abrasively. "Of course I want to hold him. Give him over. I'll show you how it's done."

Mom shrugged her shoulders at me as Maes passed the screaming bundle into Izumi's arms. Izumi rocked and jiggled Jim, patting his diapered butt like a pro. It shouldn't have bothered me, watching her handle him. I usually loved hanging with Izumi. She was one of the few people I could get harsh with and she'd do it right back. She was made to be a mom. She was awesome at it. It should've been great volunteering my kid to be hers for the afternoon. I probably would've felt that way a few hours ago before I'd started up again, that unexplainable need to be with Jim's life-force and the unexplainable discomfort that came with being apart.

I felt my heart beating too fast in my chest, fluttering and skipping beats like a panicked hamster on its wheel. I sucked hard on my lip. My hands were shaking. I didn't even have to look. I could feel them. I wasn't going crazy. I'd already thought of that, and this didn't feel like crazy. It was more just a simple panic attack, like PTSD, but more just the physical symptoms than all the flashbacks and reliving junk. I watched him, how Jim was grabbing at the folds of his blanket and the wrinkles in Izumi's shirt. It was like he was afraid she'd drop him. I felt the adrenaline make my heart race faster as his crying died down and he began to settle in Izumi's arms.

"He's giving up on me," I said softly. No one seemed to notice.

Everyone in the room seemed to be all smiles as Jim's body cuddled and relaxed into sleep. Izumi looked so happy. With Jim asleep in her arms, she had an excuse not to put him down until he woke up. I expected that was what she'd wanted in the first place. Maybe she really had known I could sooth Jim better. Maybe she was afraid of that. Maybe she wanted to be the one he fell asleep with so no one would take him away from her. Maybe she just needed to have him for a while. But I couldn't watch another moment of it.

"He thinks I…" My hands trembled. "He thinks I'm not here."

No one seemed to notice me standing up to leave. They'd all congregated at Izumi's side of the table, most with their backs directly to me. I edged around the table and chairs, my knees swerving a little as I made it to the door. Childbirth aside, lying in bed all day for six days straight had made me weak all on its own. I gripped the door pane to steady myself and stumbled into the hallway.

"Hey, Nina, you need something?" said Uncle Ed from the kitchen behind me.

I froze.

"What are you doing?" said Maes's voice, less cheerful than he had been moments ago. I heard his footsteps behind me. His hand took my wrist like I'd been bad. "Nina, you can't just get up and go wherever you…"

When he trailed off, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder to see what had made him shut up from his scolding. He was silent, brow furrowed in a worried way, with his eyes set on his grip on my wrist. He looked at me. "Your pulse…" He released my wrist to hold me like I needed steadying. Maybe I looked like I did. He was holding me in that tensed way he usually did right before he'd pick me up. "Are you feeling okay?"

I shook my head. I looked at the floor. "It's not supposed to be this way."

"How do you mean?" said Maes. He said it like he wanted an explanation.

I hunched. "Can you take me to my room now?"

Maes paused a moment. I felt his hand rub my back. "Yeah. Sure thing."

...

I swore, sometimes I regretted making Maes's lungs strong enough to snore like a fat walrus. As if I wasn't awake enough from being forced to rest most of the day. We'd actually had to give Jim his own nursery to himself because Maes's loud snoring had kept him awake the first night. I was seriously considering moving in with Jimmy for the rest of the night. Resembool had a lot of fields full of allergens. Nighttime hay fever had Maes snorting his hot breaths on my cheek like a bull. I rolled away from him to face the outside of the bed. Dammit, Maes! It had to be past two in the morning by now.

I sat up slowly. Maybe my mind was awake, but my body was exhausted. I leaned across my side of the bed to kiss Maes's forehead, getting an earful of loud snores as I went down. He didn't flinch. He was definitely the deep sleeper between the two of us. I scooted to the edge of the bed and swung my feet onto the floor. I kept my hand propped against my spine as I stood. It wasn't like I'd done any damage from walking around, but I'd completely made myself sore. Wouldn't admit it in front of Maes, though. I grabbed my comfy robe off the bedpost and slipped my arms through the sleeves as I slinked out of our room and across the hall to Jim's nursery.

It wasn't exactly a proper nursery yet. It had been a bedroom for automail patients at one time, but Aunt Winry had cleared it up for Jim the moment I'd mentioned Maes's snoring issue. Dad and Uncle Ed stuck a crib in the center with a changing table against the wall and Aunt Winry had Uncle Ed pull her old rocking chair from the attic for me, one with butt cushions. Mom helped Maes put up a bunch of collectable posters Sophie had rolled up in her old bedroom closet: the old Fullmetal, Hawk's Eye, and Flame posters, then the newer 'Maes Elric: Wielding Alchemist' poster and the 'Nina Mustang: Soul Alchemist' one. Kind of conceited decorating, but Maes said it would be like we were all watching over our baby even when we weren't there in person. I said that was enough to give a kid nightmares.

As I came to the nursery door, my heart jumped as I realized someone had closed it. Not okay. We purposely left its door and our door open so I could hear Jim when he needed to be fed or whatever. I half wondered if that was why I hadn't heard from him yet. I turned the knob urgently, swung the door open with a vengeance. I nearly choked on a breath when I saw Uncle Ed's tall frame leaned over the crib with his back to me. It startled me so bad my knees wobbled. I grabbed the doorframe and leaned sideways on it, ready to curse my father in-law out. But then I heard his voice talking, talking really soft into the crib, and I realized he hadn't noticed my grand entrance. I had a bad habit of sneaking around without making too much noise and Uncle Ed had a bad habit of getting wrapped up in thought. I entered a couple steps to lean my back against the wall and listened carefully to what Uncle Ed was saying under his breath.

"…I guess it just never gets old, kiddo," Uncle Ed sighed, reaching down to touch Jim's sleeping hand. "No matter how strong they say you are, you all look breakable to me. Drives me crazy just thinking about it." Uncle Ed pulled his hand up and rested his elbows on the edge of the crib with his chin on his fists. "Guess I shouldn't expect any different. Couldn't protect him from anything, and he was my son. Don't know how I'm supposed to handle a grandson. I'm even more powerless this time than I was with Maes."

"Tell me about it," I said more audibly, starting across the floor to join Uncle Ed at the crib.

Uncle Ed jolted in his skin. The suddenness of him straightening reminded me of Maes standing at attention, snapping out of something. He put his hand over his chest, panting. He gave me a sulky frown as I stepped up next to him. "Trying to give me a heart attack, kiddo?"

"You're not that old," I said softly. "Grandpa's just a title, not an age."

Uncle Ed sighed. His shoulders sank in defeat and he went back to peering over the crib. I leaned on the edge with him. Jim was sleeping like a little dumpling, all cute and soft and peaceful. He was so still that I couldn't really tell he was breathing for a moment, but with the quietness of the room, I caught the sound of his tiny breaths. I smiled gently. "I was kind of hoping he'd be crying by the time I got here."

Uncle Ed turned to me. "Why?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "I wanted an excuse to grab him."

My knees wobbled and I let them give enough for me to sit down on the carpeted floor. My back leaned against one of the crib's legs. Uncle Ed stepped back from the crib and watched me, more than likely wondering why the heck I wasn't going back to bed. Finally, he directed his focus back onto Jim. I looked up, watched the expression on Uncle Ed's face shift with momentary anxiety.

"I was betting on having an easier time as a grandparent than I did as a father," he said. He shook his head slowly. "At least as far as worrying is concerned."

"It's been tough on you," I said. I hugged my knees. "Maes told me some stuff about his childhood, stuff you thought he never noticed. He knew you were crying over him, Uncle Ed. You know that, right?"

Uncle Ed was quiet. He looked forward numbly in a way that made me think maybe he hadn't known.

"It's hard," I said. "You probably had all sorts of things going on in your head that might've sent Aunt Winry to her grave if she'd been the one thinking them. Couldn't talk about them, though. Couldn't say any of it out loud. All this stuff you pray your kid won't have to experience for himself. Most people can't even imagine some of the horrific junk you've lived and seen. If they had any idea…if they knew what you knew…" I bit my lip. "Well, I guess they'd worry about their kid pretty bad too."

Uncle Ed stepped back again, this time coming to his knees next to me. He looked at me in that way I hardly saw him use anymore, the way he used to look at Sophie when we first got out of the Supremist base and she was still getting used to the idea of her dad being okay. Could make a person feel safe if they were stuck in a shark's mouth. "Nina," he said, "why are you in here right now?"

I set my chin on my knees. "I missed Jim. Everyone else wants to hold him most of the day. I just…"

I stopped talking, well aware that I was sounding dumb. Uncle Ed didn't reply, just kept eye-contact, an unsaid gesture that he refused to let that be the end of my explanation. I looked at my toes. "I touched his life-force," I said. "I know my baby. He doesn't understand that we're not sharing the same flow anymore. Knowing he's so terrified to part from me makes me doubly terrified to part from him."

"I think that's how most moms feel at first," said Uncle Ed. I looked up and watched as he leaned off his knees to sit more comfortably. His brow knit like he was figuring it out. "Yeah, Winry held pretty tight to Maes and Sophie those first few months. That's probably how it's supposed to be. It'd be pretty awful if moms didn't have maternal instincts."

"I guess," I said skeptically.

"And I'd have to say there isn't a baby on the planet who doesn't have the same fear as Jimmy." Uncle Ed looked up at the crib. "Spend nine months being kept safe and warm inside their mom, then all the sudden they're exposed to light and cold, feel hunger for the first time and don't know what the heck it is. Jim spent the beginning of his life listening to your heartbeat. Imagine how terrifying it must have been the moment he realized he couldn't hear it anymore."

I sucked my lip, remembering Jim's tiny body nestled against my chest on the bed, his ear pressed against my heart.

Uncle Ed patted my head. "Don't let it get to you so bad, Nina. Every baby comes into the world terrified of the unknown. You just have a clearer understanding of its extent because you tapped into Jim's soul."

My heart suddenly felt a little steadier in my chest. I folded my hands around my legs. "Guess I've been overreacting just a bit."

Uncle Ed chuckled. "I haven't heard of a new parent that doesn't overreact on a regular basis." He smiled at me. "I wouldn't worry about it, kiddo. You're doing great."

I rested my forehead on my knees. "Problem solved. Parenting is officially uphill from here."

Uncle Ed clasped my shoulder like a comrade. "Welcome to the club."

I glanced behind me at the crib, just able to get a view of Jimmy's feet from where I sat. I looked at Uncle Ed. "Hey, grab me my baby. He can fall back asleep in my arms if he's so set on catching z's."

Uncle Ed stood, saying, "Well, don't you adjust quickly?"

I was taking what I could get. Izumi would steal Jim from me at first light and would only give him back when he needed feeding or whatever. As Uncle Ed placed Jim in my arms and I rocked him back to sleep, I wondered about the woman who had carried me for my nine months and rocked me when I'd thought I was still a part of her. I had a sudden memory of sobbing on my Mom's lap, saying over and over, 'But I want to sleep with you and Daddy.' I kissed Jim's head as his breaths turned peaceful with sleep.

"You're right, Uncle Ed," I said with a smile. "It never gets old."

* * *

Before I move onto replies, I'd like to confront something that keeps coming up in reviews. **My plans for fanfics in the future.** I will say now that **I have no intention of writing another fic** after this one. I started this fic knowing it would be my last. As much as I've truly enjoyed writing Babysitting the Boss Guy and Flame Legacy, they sapped my time and energy just to keep up with them. Not to go into detail, but you may have noticed my health isn't exactly stellar. Lately I've been spending more days of the week in bed than out of it (hence the missed due dates for final chapters). So, yeah, it's kind of non-negotiable.

**HOWEVER!** If there are any writers out there who feel like Nina and Maes have some more story in them and this just can't be the end, **you have my blessing to continue/add stuff on your own**. I think it's easier creating my own characters, but if you want to recycle mine, that's cool with me. I'd love to see what you come up with.

**ALSO!** I may post a **one-shot** here and there, but no promises. Keep your eyes open if it ever happens.

**FINALLY:** I do have a co-fic going with Ginger Kaga (The Next Step in Life) about Ed and Winry's road to finally getting married (and getting pregnant with Maes somewhere around there). I'll warn you, though, that it is slow moving. The layout is that I write from Ed's perspective and Ginger Kaga writes from Winry's and we just go back and forth when we have the time, so it's pretty laid back compared to Flame Legacy's posting deadlines. Watch out for it, though. I don't start things I don't intend on finishing :)

With that, I will say, "Until next time!" If I ever get something published and you figure out it's me, come to a book-signing and I'll take you out for corn muffins :)

…

(FINAL) REPLIES!

YouGoGlenCoco: Thanks :D If someone had to have the final word in that situation, it had to be Maes.

Polarized Penmanship: Denial that Nina was going insane? Hm. Does that make you insane? o.O

SilverLit: You doodle Nina and Maes on your notebooks? That's the coolest thing ever!

starclip: Aw, I know how you feel. Last night I was writing dialogue in my head and I realized I had nothing to type it into.

Guest: Thanks so much! It's been mega fun :D

SavFFLover: I will not be writing any feature-length fics after this, but I still have that slow-moving co-fic with Ginger Kaga going on. I'm thinking of dropping in and doing some Maes/Nina oneshots every once in a while, so watch out for me ;)

Hawke 1234321: My understanding of most anti-fraternization laws is that they usually apply most strongly to superior officers with their subordinates, especially on the same chain of command (RoyxRiza would be the perfect example of this). Maes and Nina are both majors, same rank, so there shouldn't be any serious issue there.

AllIKnowIsImNotAwesome: Omg! I loved the Brotherhood ending! That means so much!

pitstop96: I'm a hardcore advocate for happy endings :P Oh, and spot on about your review earlier. I based Nina's crazy on a bipolar type psychotic episode *possible personal experience alert*. BPs not always fun, but if gives a gal a lot to write about ;)

AuthorChick96: I love weird proposals. Not fancy ones. Creative.

Goldflame: I'm fine with putting my characters through hell (literally), but I can't stand an unhappy ending :)

Shan-Shan XP: I know exactly how you feel :(

long live marshmallows: Fifty pages has got to be a record for me. Thanks for noticing.

MsNoName13: That's exactly what I was thinking when I started writing it, lol.

sillymessycrazy: I love rereading stuff. Big fan of repetition. I've watched FMA:B, like, fifty times.

Awsome anon: secret- *I never begin a story without having already figured out its happy ending first*

PutPutJunior: Aw, thanks :) BTW, I played Put Put until my brains melted out of my head when I was a kiddy.

guardian: Thanks for the all-caps, haha! Writing this wouldn't have been near as fun without the constant feedback/bursts of emotion :)

ArtistInTraining: Wish granted :P

mixmax300: Don't worry about the bf thing for now. Most guys don't turn into Maes quality until they get into their twenties :P *wish I'd known that in HS*

author12306: Off topic- the first time I realized my feet had fallen asleep (age two maybe?) I thought I was going to die. "Ants on my feet! Ants on my feet! Can't get the sand off, Mommy!" "What are you talking about, baby?" *thrashes on the ground, grabbing feet* "Sand won't go off!"

asdfghjkl: Thanks bunches. 'Nuff said. :P

Hawkstang: Yeah, I keep feeling like it's not over and I'm late writing another chapter.

KMN24: Thanks :) It was pretty cool keeping up with the daily posts. I was really mad when my health started getting in the way.

NightTimeSparkle: Try writing some of your own stuff, even if it's just for you. It can be more fun than reading other people's stuff a lot of the time, believe it or not :D

Nikkome Konno: Maes and Nina babies- check.

KTrevo: If you want another chapter, write one yourself :D It's fun!

TheKingOfOkay: I wish I was available for a sequel, but I just started this semester's creative writing class (time consuming like none other), so Nina and Maes are pretty much done for me. I might do a oneshot here or there (no promises).

DanniMaeAnime92: I receive your high-five with honor :)

singerklainer333: I wish I'd known the true definition of love when I was an adolescent. The real thing's beautiful, am I right?

ruby-bee: Nothing like a story that can invoke physical reactions to emotion :D

verry-chan: It's funny cuz Nina still acts gritty as ever and Maes is still his sweet, light-hearted self even though Nina's the fragile one now. They're still them :P

BloodyCookie: Thanks for your reviews. Your enthusiasm and excitement always made me laugh :)

SparklyLarry: Free to do whatever they want, huh? That is a frightening thought…

SinistrousDelirious: I'll admit my writing really seemed to step it up a notch at that finale. Good timing for a burst of creativity :P

KingKaito: :( I'm done with fanfics. At least big undertaking's like this. This was my 'go out with a bang' fic.

kilamija: Thanks so much! It was really important that I nail the end after all the work I put into the rest.

RoseblossomWarrior: (Except Bob). I love that XD Jerk characters are painful to write about.

Telleo: I wish I could write a sequel, but I don't have the time/energy to commit to it.

Illovebooks: Haha! And what was your brother's reaction?


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